Pastor Stephen Bates, 46, of 62 Caldwell Road, Nashua

NASHUA — A Superior Court judge is considering a request by former Nashua Pastor Stephen Bates, who was charged in March with a dozen counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, to allow his case to go to a settlement conference.

Bates, 47, was pastor of the Bible Baptist Church, 62 Caldwell Road, for nearly 17 years until he was arrested in mid-March following a lengthy investigation by representatives of several law enforcement agencies, which actually began back in 2016.

Bates, whose last known address is 24 Country Club Drive in Manchester, has been free on $3,000 cash bail that was posted after Bates was booked on the charges at Nashua police headquarters.

He was initially charged with 12 counts of possession of child sexual abuse images, but in August he was indicted on 10 charges after two counts were dismissed, according to his case file. All the charges are classified as Class A felonies.

The file indicates that Bates and his attorneys requested the settlement conference at a hearing last week in Hillsborough County Superior Court South.

A settlement conference, meanwhile, is an informal, confidential process over which a judge — other than the judge handling the case — presides. The so-called “settlement judge” offers guidance to both parties and helps them evaluate their case and explore options for a resolution, while sparing all parties — including alleged victims and those close to the defendant — the often lengthy, grueling proceedings of a traditional court case.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.