WILLIAMSON CO.—A Norris City man remained jailed as of press time, this in Williamson County, where he’s been accused of two Class 1 felony sex assault crimes against a girl half his age.
Roman D. Yates, 32, was charged December 8 with two Criminal Sexual Assault counts, both specifying that “victim could not give consent” (due to age of victim, 16), this allegedly occurring on Dec. 6.
According to press information provided by authorities in Creal Springs, where the incident took place, a patrol officer in that Williamson County village actually caught the two in a vehicle together.
Whether they were actually engaged in the act of sexual conduct or not was a question not answered by authorities…although the allusion is there.
As it turned out, a brief investigation and careful questioning elicited that Yates had met the alleged victim on a “popular social media site” (which was not specified in press information from the Creal Springs police department), and he’d apparently traveled from his rural Norris City home in White County to hook up with her in her home area in Williamson.
Yates was subsequently charged with two counts of Criminal Sexual Assault/Victim Unable to Give Consent, both Class 1 felonies, both encompassing the same incident.
Yates, according to both his criminal record and those in White County who know him, has had a troubled past. From a couple of OPs issued by people with the last name of Bartley (Myra and Holly, in 2006 and 2008 respectively) to misdemeanor violations in relationship to those, to Domestic Battery, Harassment by Telephone and Disorderly Conduct misdemeanor convictions, to finally a Possession of Meth Manufacturing Material felony conviction in 2011, Yates has run the gamut afoul of the law.
And apparently, those around Yates can’t figure out what causes their turmoil and trials, as, on Dec. 12, 2014, someone (likely a woman declaring herself his wife, Ariel Marie Yates and not Roman, as he was in jail at that time…but it appears she was ‘posing’ as him) issued on one of his three Facebook pages, “havent been able 2 sleep all night i dont know whats wrong with me but it seems like the past couple of days i have been in a slump and depressed and none of my friends really understand and the girl i really love wont talk 2 me so idk whats going on there if she has given up and doesnt want me anymore i just feel like a damn failure well idk what else 2 say so if any of my true friends have my number text me plz bc i really need someone 2 talk 2 im not here 2 bitch or piss an moan just need someone 2 talk 2 plz im really down and out and dont know how much more i can take with all the heartaches and shit”
Into all this angst came numerous opiners on Disclosure’s Facebook page, who advised that Mr. Yates has always been a little “weird”…and issued their alleged personal experiences with him that won’t see print here due to the inflammatory nature of them. Suffice it to say, the Williamson County charges didn’t come as much of a surprise to many of them.
As of press time (Dec. 29), Yates was still being held in Williamson County on a $40,000 cash bond. He had been set for a preliminary hearing on that same date, at 1:15 p.m. in front of Williamson County Judge Speroni. Williamson County public defender Alex Fine was appointed to represent Yates’ interests in court.