Man arrested for sexual battery on 14-year-old; second man arrested for possession of child pornography after victim used his phone to document the incident

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Robert James Thomas, 44, was arrested yesterday for sexual battery on a 14-year-old. Scotty Lee Oats, Jr., 29, was arrested and charged with possession of and transmitting child pornography after the victim used his phone to record the incident and Oats sent the video to the child’s mother.

An investigation by Gainesville Police Department determined that the victim was at Oats’ residence on January 8 and using “weed and molly.” Thomas and the victim were in a back room, and Oats had given the victim his cell phone to use. Thomas allegedly performed a sexual act on the victim and told the victim not to tell anyone. The victim told him to stop, and he stopped, then the victim left. The victim reportedly recorded the incident on Oats’ phone.

Post Miranda, Oats reportedly said he was in the bathroom while Thomas and the victim were in the back room and that he had given the victim his phone. He said he did not witness the sexual battery but saw the video the next day on his phone and showed the video to Thomas. On January 10, the victim’s mother confronted the men, and Oats sent the video to the victim’s mother.

Post Miranda, Thomas reportedly admitted that he performed a sexual act on the victim. He said he believed the victim was 16 years old but was later told by the victim’s mother that the victim is 14.

Thomas has four felony convictions; bail information is unavailable at this time. Oats has several misdemeanor convictions, and several battery and theft charges have been dropped since 2019. Bail information is unavailable at this time.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.