Lincoln County Woman Receives 10 Life Sentences for Child Sex Abuse

CHANDLER – Attorney General Mike Hunter today announced a Lincoln County woman will serve 10 life sentences in prison after a jury found her guilty of multiple sex crimes involving four children with her boyfriend, who was convicted and sentenced last year.

According to court documents, Crystal Bales, 35, and Johnathan Moran, 43, involved all of their biological children in the sex acts. Three of the children tested positive for meth and one tested positive for marijuana. The children’s ages ranged from nine months to 10 years old.

Two of the children belonged to Bales and Moran. Each had one child with another partner.

Attorney General Hunter said crimes against children will never be tolerated by his office.

“The children in this case suffered unimaginable horrors at the hands of monsters,” Attorney General Hunter said. “These individuals have no business being a part of our society, and we want to ensure they, and those who do unspeakable acts to children stay behind bars for as long as possible. I want to thank Senior Deputy Attorney General Joy Thorp for her work and dedication on this case. She and Lincoln County Assistant District Attorney Greg Wilson worked tirelessly to guarantee Bales won’t be able to hurt another child for the rest of her life.”

Moran was charged with seven counts of sexual abuse involving children under 12. He accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

The Lincoln County case number is: CF-2018-00010