MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) Lincoln Bates, 19, was one of six Post 18 players charged with rape, following an alleged incident last year at a Rapid City hotel. Now, he will be a key witness in his teammates’ cases.
On May 30, the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office sent a letter to Bates with details of a plea offer, giving him the option to plead guilty to one count of accessory to a felony. It’s a Class 5 felony, which means he will face up to five years in prison.
By accepting the offer, and entering a guilty plea this week, Bates also agreed to testify in all hearings relating to the events that happened in June of 2023. In April, judge Donna Bucher found Mitchell baseball coach Luke Norden not guilty of a felony and not reporting child abuse. A charge against Mitchell Baseball Association former board member Jeremy Borgan was also dismissed.
Because of a gag order in the case, none of those involved are able to comment on this or other developments in the case. The rest of those charged will have a status hearing on July 1, 2024.