Two convicted in Henderson County of criminal offenses involving minors

Recently, in Henderson County, two individuals were convicted of criminal offenses involving minors. On Jan. 31, 2020, thirty-three-year-old Nathaniel Steven Wells was convicted of one (1) count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (greater than 100 images) and two (2) counts of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The trial court ordered him to serve ten (10) years in the Tennessee Department of Correction without the possibility of parole. The case was the result of a joint investigation by Lexington Police Department Investigators Wendy Nichols and Brad Wilson, together with Jackson Police Department Investigator Karrie Hart.
On Feb. 13, 2020, a jury convicted seventy-three-year-old Anthony Skelton of five (5) counts of Rape of a Child and one (1) count of Aggravated Sexual Battery. On April 7, 2020, the trial court sentenced Skelton to twenty-five (25) years in the Tennessee Department of Correction without the possibility of parole. Investigator Crystal Duke and Investigator Jeremiah Adams, both of the Henderson County Sheriffs Department, investigated the case, Assistant District Attorney General Angela Scott represented the State in both cases. Upon release from incarceration, both defendants will be subject to lifetime community supervision.
General Pickens stated, “These sentences should serve to send the message that sex offenses involving minors are aggressively investigated and prosecuted in Henderson County.
All citizens, not just law enforcement, bear the responsibility of protecting the children in our community and that is why it is imperative that people report suspected child sexual abuse.
“The people of Henderson County have nothing to fear from these two offenders as they have been removed from society for a long period of time. I am grateful for the hard work of law enforcement in working with my office to achieve justice for the victims in these two cases.”