Trial opens for Hobart man charged with child molesting
Opening arguments were held Tuesday for a Hobart man charged with repeatedly touching a preteen girl.
Aaron Seidel, 39, was charged April 13, 2020 with two counts of Level 4 child molesting. He has pleaded not guilty.
Deputy Prosecutor C.J. Washington said his actions were a “betrayal of trust”. It evolved from cuddles to inappropriate touching, she said.
The girl “froze” and “didn’t know what to do”. He told her not to tell anyone.
Defense lawyer Joseph Roberts said the case may be about “misinterpretation”.
“It didn’t happen,” he said.
The girl’s father testified that before the incident, he grew suspicious and didn’t want his kids around Seidel. He telephoned for legal advice and was told there wasn’t much he could do.
In September 2019, she confided in a school counselor. While he was trying to speak with the girl that evening to see what happened, someone from the Indiana Department of Child Services knocked on his door.
The girl also testified Tuesday.
The charging affidavit states the victim reported the abuse started in March 2019.
The victim told investigators back then, it was “normal” as Seidel cuddled and hugged her when they watched movies, court records state.
In one incident, he touched her chest and lap and massaged her legs while her mom was at work and brother was at a concert, according to the affidavit. He touched her inappropriately over her clothes.
Another time, in September 2019, as she was falling asleep, Seidel pulled the child’s pajamas down. She eventually told her brother.
“Honey, please don’t tell anyone about this,” Seidel allegedly told her.
Seidel denied to police he touched the girl.
Federal court records state that Seidel, then 28, formerly of Eurora, Illinois, admitted he went to West Virginia from Illinois in January 2013 to have sex with a 14-year-old teen.
He was sentenced to 51 months — or just over 4 years under the plea deal for Traveling in Interstate commerce for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct. His probation runs through 2027, according to federal court filings. He is required to register as a sex offender.
