A Catoosa County jury has convicted a 35-year-old man on multiple sex crime charges involving a two-year-old child, concluding a case that investigators say began with a separate child exploitation investigation in Texas.
Nathaniel Lee Green was found guilty on seven counts, including aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, and child molestation, following a two-day trial before Superior Court Judge Don Thompson.
According to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, the case originated when a Texas law enforcement officer uncovered online conversations tied to child exploitation and arrested a suspect in that state. Investigators later discovered messages between the Texas suspect and Green that included admissions Green had sexually abused a child in Georgia and evidence the two men were exchanging child pornography.
Prosecutors said an investigator later went undercover online, posing as a child predator, and contacted Green. During those conversations, Green allegedly described the abuse in detail and sent images of child pornography. He was initially arrested in Georgia for sending those images to Texas, and the case was later turned over to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Detective Clay Thompson led the local investigation into the abuse allegations, which resulted in additional charges tied to the child in Georgia.
During the trial, prosecutors presented text messages between Green and both the Texas suspect and the undercover investigator that detailed multiple acts of abuse. Jurors also heard testimony from a sexual assault nurse examiner who said a medical examination of the child revealed injuries consistent with sexual abuse. Green’s wife testified that years earlier he had expressed interest in involving a child in sexual activity.
After the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts, the court immediately moved to sentencing. Green’s attorney requested the minimum sentence, while prosecutors asked for the maximum, citing ongoing safety concerns.
Judge Thompson sentenced Green to two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 49 years in prison, followed by one year of sex offender probation. The judge described the case as one of the worst child molestation cases he had seen in his judicial career.
Acting District Attorney Deanna Reisman said that while nothing can repair the harm suffered by the child, the conviction and multiple life sentences help ensure the community is safer and reflect the work of Assistant District Attorney Wolfe and the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
