The man charged in a sexual assault cold case in Western North Carolina will spend at least the next 7 years in prison. The District Attorney's Office for Buncombe County says, 33 year old Manuel Joel Bates of Asheville, entered guilty pleas Monday to charges of 2nd degree rape, battery of an unborn child and intimidating a witness.
The charges stem from an incident in 2018, the case went cold and was unsolved for nearly four years, prior to Bates being charged last year. The exact length of his sentence has not yet been determined. However, officials say he will spend between 7 and 13 years behind bars.