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Henderson man charged with sexual assault in Gregg County now accused of rape in Smith County

In Gregg County, he was arrested Dec. 9, 2021, and released the same day. His bond had been set at $15,000.

TYLER, Texas — A Henderson man already facing a sexual assault charge out of Gregg County is now accused of raping another woman and putting her in fear for her life in Smith County. 

Morgan Ellis Cates, 27, was charged with sexual assault on Friday and he remains in the Smith County Jail on a $750,000 bond, according to jail records

Gregg County records show Cates was indicted on a sexual assault charge in connection with alleged incident on Dec. 27, 2020. He was arrested Dec. 9, 2021 and released the same day. His bond had been set at $15,000.

His next court date in Gregg County is June 10. 

According to the arrest affidavit out of Smith County, the victim said Cates sexually assaulted her to the point where she feared for her life earlier this year. 

The victim said after the assault, Cates told her, "don't say anything to the cops, be careful what you say to the cops, anything you say can be held against me right now," the affidavit read.

A sexual assault nurse examiner, who said she normally doesn't contact detectives about individual cases, said she felt compelled to report her findings because of the severity of the injuries and information from the victim, according to the affidavit. 

The document also states that Cates claimed the alleged victim out of Gregg County was lying about the sexual assault allegations. 

RELATED: Tyler man gets probation for 2017 attempted sexual assault near elementary school

RELATED: Tyler man sentenced to 15 years for sexually assaulting teenage girl

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