Sex Crimes
High-stakes defense. Discretion required. Trial readiness essential.
Accused of a Sex Offense in Tennessee? Don’t Say Another Word.
Sex-crime allegations can upend your life before any evidence is tested. Employers find out. Family finds out. The news sometimes finds out. The temptation to “clear things up” with a detective is almost always a mistake.
I’m Nathan Cate. I defend sex offense cases in Middle Tennessee courts with the discretion and aggressiveness the stakes demand. Before you return a detective’s call, before you agree to a polygraph, before you talk to anyone — call me.
Free, confidential consultation. Call (615) 664-8083. Available 24/7.
Sex Offenses in Tennessee
Rape / Aggravated Rape / Especially Aggravated Rape
- Rape (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-503): Class B Felony — 8–30 years
- Aggravated Rape (§ 39-13-502): Class A Felony — 15–60 years
- Especially Aggravated Rape (§ 39-13-534): Class A Felony, up to 60 years, often mandatory life
Sexual Battery / Aggravated Sexual Battery
- Sexual Battery (§ 39-13-505): Class E Felony — 1–6 years
- Aggravated Sexual Battery (§ 39-13-504): Class B Felony — 8–30 years, no parole eligibility for certain subtypes
Statutory Rape — Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-506
Age-of-consent offenses where no force is alleged but the age gap and ages matter:
- Mitigated Statutory Rape — Class E Felony
- Statutory Rape — Class E Felony
- Aggravated Statutory Rape — Class D Felony
Rape of a Child / Aggravated Rape of a Child
Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-522 and § 39-13-531. Class A Felony. Minimum 25 years without possibility of parole.
Solicitation of a Minor / Online Solicitation
Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-528. Increasingly charged from sting operations involving police posing as minors online. Class B, C, or D Felony depending on the minor’s age and the intended act.
Sexual Exploitation of a Minor / Child Pornography
Possession, production, and distribution charges. Class E to Class A Felony depending on quantity and conduct.
Indecent Exposure
Generally misdemeanor; enhanced if repeat or in front of a minor.
Why These Cases Are Different
Sex Offender Registration
Almost every sex-crime conviction in Tennessee carries a lifetime or 10-year registration requirement under the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry (Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-39-201 et seq.). Registry status limits where you can live, where you can work, your freedom of movement, firearm possession, and internet access in some cases.
Fighting the registration aspect is often as important as fighting the jail time.
Bond and Pretrial Restrictions
Sex-offense bonds are high, and conditions are severe: no contact with alleged victim, no contact with minors, no internet in some cases, monitoring, curfew.
Media Exposure
Local media covers sex-offense arrests. I help clients understand what they can and cannot say publicly and to whom.
Collateral Consequences
Professional licenses, immigration status, military careers, child custody, family relationships — all can be affected before a conviction is even entered.
How I Fight Sex Offense Cases
1. Consent
For adult-on-adult sexual contact cases, consent is a complete defense. I review text messages, social media, timeline evidence, witness accounts — everything that supports actual consent.
2. Mistaken identity or false accusation
False accusations happen. Custody disputes, breakups, and regret after the fact drive more reports than many realize. I investigate motive to fabricate in every case where it’s plausible.
3. Forensic challenges
DNA evidence, SANE exam findings, and digital forensics all get independent review. Lab errors, poor chain of custody, and investigator interpretation mistakes are all attackable.
4. Age-based defenses (statutory cases)
“Reasonable belief” the person was of age can be a partial defense under specific statutes. The closeness of the age gap matters — some statutory rape charges get reduced to juvenile-court matters.
5. Miranda violations and coerced statements
Detectives are trained to get “admissions” before the word “lawyer” is said. If you were in custody and made a statement without Miranda, that statement goes. Period.
6. Technology and sting-operation defenses
Online solicitation cases involve entrapment questions, IP attribution, spoofed accounts, and chain-of-custody on digital evidence. These are technically complex cases and reward close attention.
What to Do the Moment You’re Accused
- Stop talking. To everyone — not just police. Not family, not friends, not anyone who could be called as a witness.
- Do not return the detective’s call. “I just want to get your side of the story” is the oldest interrogation technique in the book.
- Do not agree to a polygraph. Results are not admissible, but what you say during one is.
- Do not delete anything. Evidence destruction is its own crime.
- Do not contact the accuser. Not through friends, not through social media, not at all.
- Call a lawyer. That call is confidential. What we discuss is privileged.
Why Cate Law
- Highly rated by clients on Google
- Discretion — I understand the privacy stakes in these cases
- Trial readiness — willingness to go the distance is what creates leverage
Free, Confidential Consultation
The first conversation with me is confidential and protected by attorney-client privilege. The call to the detective is not.
📞 Call or text (615) 664-8083
222 2nd Ave N, Suite 220, Nashville, TN 37201
Available 24/7.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Every sex-offense case depends on its specific facts. Contact Cate Law for a case-specific consultation.
Other Practice Areas
For the complete guide to defending a Tennessee criminal case in Davidson County and the surrounding counties, see our Nashville Criminal Defense Attorney overview — the full procedural map from arrest through trial, with every practice area linked.