Latest news with #IndianaDepartmentofChildServices'
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis man convicted of child molestation, rape
This article contains descriptions of child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All adults are mandated reporters in Indiana. An Indianapolis man was convicted of child molestation and rape during a July 23 jury trial in Marion County. Damaine King, 42, was arrested by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers in February 2024 for sexually abusing a child relative. The child reported the incident to a friend and relatives immediately after it occurred. A relative then called the police, who arrested King, according to a probable cause affidavit. On July 23, King was found guilty of child molesting, a Level 1 and Level 4 felony, and rape, a Level 3 felony.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis man sentenced to over 50 years for child sex crimes
This article contains descriptions of child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All adults are mandated reporters in Indiana. A man was sentenced to serve 53 years July 25 after being convicted of child sex crimes by a Marion County jury. Ira Miles, 37, will serve 49 of those years in prison after being found guilty of child molesting, rape, sexual misconduct with a minor, criminal confinement and intimidation. Miles' sentence was increased due to prior felony convictions. In June, Miles was found guilty of sexually abusing a child relative over the course of several years. The victim told investigators that Miles said if anyone found out about the abuse, he would kill her and another family member, according to a probable cause affidavit. Detectives also spoke with a relative who said Miles would "become violent when he gets upset.'
Indianapolis Star
01-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis coach, mentor faces six counts in child sexual misconduct case
Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All adults are mandated reporters in Indiana. Indianapolis police have arrested a longtime coach and mentor accused of inappropriately touching a 15-year-old who was staying at his house. The teen boy was staying with the man for about four weeks and other mentees had spent the night at the house, according to court documents. The case against the coach involves just one teen, and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department representatives did not respond when asked if there may be other victims. Gordan Darnell Bass, 53, was arrested June 27 and indicted on six felony charges: four counts of sexual misconduct, one count of child seduction and one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors. Bass denied any sexual intention, but told investigators there was physical contact between him and the teenager and some could have been "accidentally" sexual, according to court documents. Bass pleaded not guilty and has a bond set at $7500. He was also issued a no-contact order. He did not have a lawyer listed in online court records. Bass may have been working with children since 1996, according to a review of court and online records. He was a mentor with the Wheeler Dowe Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis from 1996 to 2005 and began teaching with Indianapolis Public Schools in 2013, according to his LinkedIn. High School Athletic Association records list Bass as an assistant coach at Lawrence Central High School in 2010 and said he taught football at John Marshall High School from 2016-17. A comment from court records suggests he may have worked at Northwest Middle School. A spokesperson said Bass worked for the Lawrence schools from 2020-24 and no longer has any affiliation with the district. Bass is currently employed as an Indianapolis Public Schools teacher but is on suspension pending investigation. The IPS official declined to specify where Bass worked. Public records indicate Bass made just over $102,000 teaching at James W. Riley Elementary in 2024. A document on the IPS website said Bass worked as a behavior modification specialist. His professional educator license was listed as valid as of July 1 and set to expire in 2032. The teenager said he was staying at Bass's home over the summer to improve at basketball. The teenager had a room in the coach's house. He made an outcry to his family after he woke up and found Bass inappropriately touching him, according to court records. The teenager said he had been inappropriately touched over 10 times. He was concerned he wouldn't be able to play basketball if he told anyone, the teen told a family member in court records. Bass paid for some of the teenager's sports opportunities and personal items, according to court documents. The coach was considered part of the family, someone close to the teen told investigators. Four days before Bass's arrest, Indianapolis police arrested an assistant track & field coach at Ben Davis High School who was accused of inappropriately touching a student. Harrison Goss was charged with five felony counts of child seduction as a child care worker.
Indianapolis Star
30-05-2025
- Indianapolis Star
'She was brave': Zara's grieving mother hopes girl's killing prompts change
Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All adults are mandated reporters in Indiana. Zara Arnold was a "radiant little soul" whose brown eyes beamed with the wonder and curiosity of a 5-year-old. Her warmth was felt through the way she would sign, "I love you," in American Sign Language (ASL) to her mother, Tiara Finch, who is deaf. The vibration of Zara's laughter is what her mother remembers most. "Her giggle was the kind that stuck with you," Finch told IndyStar. "She was hearing, but I taught her ASL. It was the only language we used to communicate." Zara loved going to school, socializing with her friends, and dressing up as a princess. Although her life was cut short, Finch wants people to know that she made an impact. While the city struggles to understand how so many opportunities to keep Zara safe were missed, Finch wants people to also remember her daughter's smile and pureness. "She was brave in ways small and big and endlessly loved," Finch said. Her pure heart was displayed in the last words she said to her accused killer. Zara Arnold: Prosecutor looking into 'everybody' tied to 5-year-old's brutal killing, abuse Just before 11 a.m. on May 19, 2025, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called to a home in the 200 block of North Lasalle Street for an unresponsive 5-year-old girl. The only person in the home was Zara's father, 41-year-old Zachary Arnold. Cold to the touch and her body rigid, Zara was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives noticed she had multiple bruises and abrasions on her arms and face. There was bruising on the side of her neck. She appeared to have dried blood on her face, and nearby in a kitchen sink was a small tank top with blood. According to a probable cause for his arrest, Arnold later admitted to choking Zara two to three times the night before and has choked her on numerous occasions before. He claimed he wasn't trying to hurt Zara, but he was fighting with his ex-girlfriend, Andrea Lopez-Figueroa, and said she made him "go crazy." Later, police found videos on Lopez-Figueroa's phone of Arnold choking Zara and using a noose around her neck. 'Why'd you hurt me? Why'd you hurt me? I love you, Dad," were the last words the 5-year-old said, according to Arnold. He was arrested and formally charged with murder. Lopez-Figueroa was charged with assisting a criminal and failure to make a report for not calling 911. Finch has been facing homelessness and is working with groups and resources to help her get back on her feet and deal with the loss of her daughter. According to court documents, the mother had not seen Zara since September of 2024. Finch left Arnold when Zara was about 10 months old after claims of abuse, and between then and now, there was a long history of court orders, custody battles, and Finch not feeling like her concerns were heard. Despite a spate of subsequent concerns about other possible abuse, a Marion County judge ordered Finch to stop contacting police and the Department of Child Services with concerns about her daughter's safety. Alongside justice in her daughter's death, Finch wants people to take note of how a system tasked with keeping her safe failed. Tiara Finch: 5-year-old Zara was tortured and killed after Indiana judge silenced mom's pleas for help Finch declined to speak to the ongoing case and is instead focusing her attention on funeral arrangements and attaining resources. She has a GoFundMe set up for funeral costs for Zara and MealTrain representatives are collecting donations for the mother. Zara Arnold will be laid to rest on June 7, 2025.
Indianapolis Star
22-05-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Prosecutor looking into 'everybody' tied to Zara Arnold's brutal killing, abuse
Editor's note: This article contains descriptions of child abuse. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Indiana Department of Child Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All adults are mandated reporters in Indiana. Anybody who has had contact with Zara Arnold, the 5-year-old girl brutally killed after years of alleged abuse, will be looked into, said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. Zachary Arnold, the girl's 41-year-old father, is charged with murder in her death. After Arnold's initial court hearing May 22, 2025, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears was pointed about what was coming in the case. "I cannot stress enough, this certainly is not the end of the investigation," said Mears, adding Zara "suffered incredible abuse" and "torture." Mears is seeking life without parole for Arnold. His girlfriend, Andrea Lopez-Figueroa, is also facing charges as police say she witnessed the abuse but failed to call 911. "Certainly anticipate that more serious charges are going to be filed against additional individuals," Mears said. "We are evaluating the conduct of everybody who came in contact with this child." Whether members of Indiana's Department of Child Services, which was alerted several times to possible abuse, will be part of that investigation remains to be seen. "We cannot comment on the particulars of a pending investigation," said Michael Leffler with the Marion County Prosecutor's Office when asked about that possibility. Court documents in the case against Arnold reveal a timeline of DCS involvement before Zara was found dead inside a home on May 19. Arnold initially said she fell down the stairs, but later admitted to choking her. According to court documents, detectives found new evidence of abuse on a phone belonging to Lopez-Figueroa. One video includes a FaceTime recording where Arnold has a noose around Zara's neck and swings her body around. Other videos depict him throwing the 5-year-old over his shoulder and letting her body hang behind his back while the noose is around her neck. She appears to still be alive in all of these videos, according to court records. A warrant was issued for Lopez-Figueroa's arrest on charges of assisting a criminal and failure to make a report. Arnold's initial hearing was early May 22. He was not given a bond. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of life without parole for Arnold.
