A man who faced 35 counts of child sex crimes in Wilson County pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of child rape.
Stephen E. Beck, 44, was sentenced to 36 years without parole, according to the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office. He will also be on lifetime community supervision and listed on the Sex Offender Registry for life.
Beck had been scheduled for trial Aug. 5.
Initial charges against Beck in Wilson County were nine counts of rape against a child, 16 counts of rape and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
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He is also charged with three counts of rape in Rutherford County that are separate from the Wilson County charges.
The plea deal in Wilson County included an agreement that Beck enters a plea in Rutherford County as well, which Assistant District Attorney Tom Swink expects to happen soon. The sentence in Rutherford County is expected to run concurrent with the Wilson County sentence, Swink said.
Beck was indicted in 2010 by Wilson County and Rutherford County grand juries.
He went on the run in July 2011, when he failed to make a Wilson County court appearance, and was eventually placed on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s 10 Most Wanted list.
Beck was located in May 2014 in Wilmington, N.C., living under a stolen identity. Beck had also lived in the Johnson City area avoiding capture, according to police.
“We in our office appreciate the tireless efforts of law enforcement in tracking down this defendant so that he could be brought to justice here today,” Swink said. “We are also extremely grateful and appreciative of the two victims in this case and their family members, who have exercised both courage and patience through this long process. I believe that they feel a sense of justice with today’s outcome.”
