New Castle man who said he was assaulted charged with molesting
NEW CASTLE, Ind. — A New Castle man who told police he was sexually assaulted by a juvenile has been charged with molesting the target of his accusations.
Shane Edward Roberts Jr., 23, was charged last week with three counts of child molesting, all Level 1 felonies carrying maximum 40-year prison terms.
According to New Castle police reports, Roberts in May 2022 told a city police officer he believed he might have been sexually abused while intoxicated at a party.
An investigator said the New Castle man provided few details and didn't further cooperate with efforts to investigate his claims.
Officers later received reports Roberts had sex with a 13-year-old juvenile at that party, and on at least two other occasions over the next two weeks.
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Contacted last July, Roberts told an investigator he no longer wished to pursue his own claim of being assaulted. Told they had other things to discuss, the New Castle man reportedly agreed to meet with the officer but then did not show up.
Roberts, arrested on March 23, continued to be held in the Henry County jail on Wednesday under a $225,000 surety bond and a $12,000 cash bond.
He has received a June 26 trial date in Henry Circuit Court 2.
In other crime news:
Battery on child: A New Castle man is accused of battering his infant daughter during an altercation with his wife.
Uriah Scott Petry, 29, is charged in Henry Circuit Court 3 with battery on a person less than 14 years old and domestic battery, both Level 6 felonies carrying up to 30 months in prison, and interference with the reporting of a crime, a misdemeanor.
According to New Castle police, a recording from a surveillance camera in the home where the family was staying showed Uriah Petty grabbing the baby by her ankle and dropping her on a couch.
An officer reported he observed bruising on the child's lower left leg. Indiana Department of Child Services officials were called to the scene.
Petty also allegedly destroyed his wife's cellphone to prevent her from calling police.
The New Castle man, released after posting bond at the jail, is scheduled to appear at an Initial hearing on April 11.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: New Castle man who said he was assaulted charged with molesting
