Carter County man charged with statutory rape

Published 9:02 pm Monday, October 10, 2022

A convicted sex offender has been arrested and charged with statutory rape following an investigation into an incident where state law enforcement officers conducting a home check found a juvenile hiding in his residence.

Around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 9, deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office responded to an apartment at 124 Reeser Road, in the Milligan community, after officers with the Tennessee Department of Probation and Parole requested assistance from CCSO.

Upon arrival, CCSO Lt. Issac Rhea spoke with officers from Probation and Parole who informed him they had come to the apartment to conduct a home check on Marquise Cole, 20, due to his being a convicted sex offender and currently on probation. Probation and Parole officers said when they checked the home, they located a 15-year-old juvenile hiding inside a bedroom closet.

Officers spoke with the juvenile in the presence of a parent, and the juvenile told officers they had engaged in sexual activity with Cole and that he was aware of the juvenile’s age. The juvenile showed officers text messages on their phone showing Cole knew the juvenile was underage.

After speaking with everyone involved, Lt. Rhea placed Marquise Cole under arrest on a charge of statutory rape.

Cole is being held at the Carter County Detention Center under a $500,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in Carter County General Sessions Court on October 21.