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Accused molester allowed visitation
Chesterton man allowed supervised contact with his alleged abuse victim
NWI Times
Apr 12, 2003
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/accused-molester-allowed-visitation/article_1b5b1bf4-5673-59ff-b23c-324cf8342675.html
VALPARAISO -- A 21-year-old Chesterton man, who is accused of molesting his underage sister for the last six years, was granted the right Friday to have limited contact with the girl.
The man will be allowed to continue to interact with his 14-year-old sister under the supervision of their parents.
The limited no-contact order was issued by former Porter Superior Court Judge Thomas Webber after the pair's father took the stand and said the two have been interacting without problem since the allegations came to light.
The young man, who The Times is not naming in an attempt to protect the identity of the girl, no longer lives in the family's house. The court order prohibits him from having any unsupervised contact with his sister.
The family also has placed both the accused and his sister in counseling, said defense attorney Peter Boyles.
"They're trying to do everything possible to make sure the family is not harmed further," Boyles said.
The arrangement did not sit well with Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Mike Drenth, who had asked the court to prohibit all contact between the girl and the accused.
The request for the order came as the young man made an initial court appearance Friday on the B felony counts of child molesting and incest. An innocent plea was entered on his behalf and a trial date was set for Sept. 15.
B felonies carry a potential prison term of between six and 20 years.
It was Boyles who sought to include supervised visits as part of the no-contact order.
Boyles called the father to the stand and under questioning, the father said while child protection officials have been involved in the case, they have not called for a no-contact order.
Kathy Hannon, child protective services supervisor with the Porter County Office of Family and Children, said she could not comment on specific cases.
But she said her office works closely with prosecutors on cases of abuse and neglect involving children younger than 18. The office investigates complaints and when action is warranted, follows through with appropriate services, she said.
The accused, who is not in custody, is scheduled to appear again in court June 6.
Webber was sitting in Friday for Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa, who has been away the last couple of weeks at a judicial school.
Alexa is scheduled to be back on the bench Monday.
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