A Rhea County, Tennessee, man has been arrested on a grand jury indictment charging him with a 17-count string of sex charges involving minors.
Michael D. Napier, 33, was being held early Monday without bond on felony sex charges involving multiple alleged minor victims, authorities said.
According to three indictments in Rhea County Circuit Court, Napier faces five counts of aggravated sexual battery in one indictment; five counts of aggravated sexual battery, sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means and sexual contact by an authority figure involving a minor younger than 18 in a second indictment; and five counts of sexual battery by an authority figure in a third indictment.
The investigator on the case is Rhea County Sheriff's Office investigator Rocky Potter, court records show.
Monday, Mike Taylor, the 12th Judicial District Attorney General, said Napier was previously employed at a Dayton skating rink but said he could not share more details about the investigation.
Court records state the allegations in the indictments span incidents occurring over a period from June 1 to Sept. 30, 2020, and a period between Aug. 1, 2020, and Feb. 28, 2021. The charges involve at least one alleged victim younger than 13 and another younger than 18, records state.
Officials at the Rhea County Jail said Napier was scheduled for an initial court appearance on the charges Monday. Officials said Napier does not yet have a lawyer on record.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton.