Shipshewana man accused of raping tenant
May 21—LIGONIER — A landlord in Ligonier was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping his tenant.
Glen R. Miller, 63, of Shipshewana, had an initial hearing Monday in Noble Circuit Court on a charge of rape, a Level 3 felony. Miller told Noble Circuit Court Senior Judge George Brown that he intends to hire his own attorney. A pretrial conference is scheduled for July 29. Court records indicate that Miller entered a surety bond on Monday, for his bond set at $50,000.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Miller had been renting an apartment to the woman for around two years but for the last year and a half when she'd been short on money to pay rent, the landlord would touch her explicitly, which resulted in sex. The tenant said Miller told her that if she was short on money, it would be OK and they would work through it, the affidavit reads.
The victim claimed in the affidavit they had sex around 15 times and that she was afraid to tell Miller no because she thought she would get evicted.
The rape, however, according to the victim's statement in the probable cause affidavit, occurred on Friday morning when Miller walked into her apartment unannounced after she'd just gotten out of the shower. She reportedly told Miller she did not want to have sex with him anymore.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim told police Miller began walking toward her taking his clothes off and grabbing her as she continued to say "no." He then allegedly forced himself on her, and after he was finished, he left, the court record reads.
Miller reportedly told police that he had knocked on the victim's door to talk to her about rent money, that she'd let him in, took off her clothes, and started teasing him, the affidavit reads. He claimed in the affidavit that the sex was consensual. He reportedly told police it had happened around six times.
