Jaime Zarate
A man who was earlier convicted of child rape will be back in Judge Barry Steelman’s Criminal Court in late February after one of his cases was upheld in the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Judge Barry Steelman had sentenced Jaime Zarate to 30 years in state prison at 100 percent after the conviction. The case was upheld by the State Court of Criminal Appeals and the State Supreme Court.
The case involves multiple counts of sexual misconduct involving a child younger than 13 and with the production of child pornography.
“He had a previous case that he’s been found guilty and took to the court of appeals and the supreme court,” said his attorney, Marty Lasley. “It’s going to stand guilty as charged and sentenced. So there’s one case of his that is completely over, and we were waiting to see the results of that before we proceeded to the second case.”
One of those motions will be a motion to suppress. If the court finds that a warrant was not issued properly, then the defense can have any evidence procured by the warrant omitted during any hearings or trials.
“Today was just a review date to possibly set it for trial,” said attorney Lasley. “We decided there were some motions that needed to be heard, so the state and I agreed to get a date on Feb. 27 for motions. At that point, the case may be the position to be resolved.”
Zarate faces two counts of rape of a child, three counts of aggravated sexual battery, and five counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to the true bill, on Sept. 1, 2011, Jamie Zarate “did unlawfully and knowingly promote, employ, use, assist, transport, or permit a minor, to wit: (VICTIM) who was less than 18 years of age at the time of the offense, to participate in the performance or in the production of material which included the said (VICTIM) engaging in sexual activity or simulated sexual activity.”