Federal charges dropped against child molester Chester Stiles

Justin M. Bowen

Convicted child molester Chester A. Stiles talks to one of his attorneys May 29 just before he was sentenced to life in prison on 21 of 22 charges.

By Cara McCoy (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 1:54 p.m.

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Child molester gets multiple life sentences (5-29-2009)
Jury finds Stiles guilty on all 22 counts (3-3-09)
Jury begins deliberations in Stiles molestation case (3-2-09)
Jurors watch graphic tape in toddler sex case (2-27-09)
Ex-girlfriend says she saw Stiles in girl’s bedroom (2-26-09)
Man describes videotape that prompted search for Stiles (2-25-09)
Girl’s parents testify in trial of accused rapist (2-24-09)
Girl, 11, testifies in trial of accused rapist (2-23-09)
Jurors in child sex case to hear opening statements Monday (2-20-09)
Jury selected in child video sex case (2-19-09)
Trial begins in Las Vegas toddler video sex case (2-18-09)

Chester A. Stiles sentenced

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Chester Stiles, who in May was sentenced to a minimum of 140 years in a Nevada prison on child molestation convictions, won't be getting his day in federal court.

Stiles, 38, was facing federal child pornography charges in connection with a haunting videotape that shows the molestation of a 2-year-old girl, found in the desert near Pahrump in 2007. Those charges were dismissed after prosecutors filed a motion that said the state's prosecution had "vindicated the substantial federal interest."

Stiles’ federal trial was scheduled to begin Monday.

Stiles is serving life prison terms on 21 of 22 counts of lewdness and sexual assault and the soonest he could appear before a parole board is 2149. The federal charges could have tacked an additional 15 to 30 years onto that sentence.

U.S. District Court Judge James C. Mahan approved the prosecutors' motion to dismiss the charges without prejudice on Friday. According to the document, prosecutors can re-file charges if Stiles' state conviction or sentence "changes significantly."

Stiles was convicted March 3 on 10 counts of lewdness with a child under the age of 14, 11 counts of sexual assault with a minor under 14, and one count of attempted sexual assault with a minor under 14 for sexually molesting two girls, ages 2 and 6, in 2003. Nineteen charges were tied directly to what was seen in the tape. The other three charges pertained to the assault of the 6-year-old girl, who wasn't taped.

Stiles is serving his sentence at High Desert State Prison in Indian Springs.

The case gained national attention in 2007 when authorities released images from the videotape in an effort to identify both the man and the toddler and a national manhunt ensued.

A Las Vegas woman recognized the girl and alerted the girl’s mother, who then contacted police. Stiles was later arrested during a routine traffic stop in Henderson.

The man who discovered the tape, 26-year-old Darren Tuck, told authorities he found it wrapped in a plastic bag beneath a piece of wood in a desert lot about five months before he turned it in.

The girl who was 6 at the time of her assault testified during Stiles' trial. The videotaped toddler's mother testified that her daughter has no memory of the assault.

Stiles’ attorneys are pursuing an appeal.

Discussion: 8 comments so far…

By MyView

8/25/09 at 2:56 p.m.

Suggest removal

As long as this creep spends the rest of his life behind bars I'm happy and satisfied.
By Babyboomer

8/25/09 at 3:50 p.m.

Suggest removal

Pointless to tack on an additional 15 to 30 yrs to a 140 yrs sentence. This is one VERY SICK individual... He will have to wait at least 70 more years "after" he dies of old age before he's considered for parole.Nothing the state could do could satisfy those families of those children...nothing.To know he is gone from society forever will have to do.
By ljsmith56

8/25/09 at 4:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

2149 FOR PAROLE,now that is a Sentence!! The less I have to hear his voice in any forum that would probably be televised the better. I am satisfied that he will NEVER get out & WILL die in Prison.
By Harley

8/25/09 at 4:34 p.m.

Suggest removal

Fail to comprehend how encaging anyone on the taxpayer's dime for a minimum of 140 years can be considered any more civilized than molesting an infant.
By Judy

8/25/09 at 4:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

Harley - all dangerous and vicious animals are caged to protect human beings well-being.
By getalife

8/25/09 at 5:08 p.m.

Suggest removal

Harley, maybe he can come over to your place and have some beers.

This is what is wrong with the prison system; the guy gets shanked a while back and since the shank was made in China, instead of dying immediately he will probably contract lead poisoning which will allow him to sue the State, in return they will release him for humanitarian reasons and He can live with Harley and they can play with their expensive new video equipment.

Let him rot.
By Teaser

8/25/09 at 5:12 p.m.

Suggest removal

I don't know Harley, but maybe what he means is that we should give this guy the death penalty rather than spend years worth of taxpayer money keeping him alive.
By rizzo1970

8/26/09 at 3:10 a.m.

Suggest removal

What I don't see is why the taxpayer's are supporting him for life the civilized thing to do
would be nuking him and then send his parents the electric bill.

I was always told as a child to look out for Chester the Molester and now he's in jail.
So when I'm giving my kids the warning talk
I guess I'll have to use a different name but it probably won't rime.