The following press release was sent to The Bloomingtonian Thursday evening. Two of the suspects are from Bloomington.
Text of the release begins here:
“Troopers Arrest Five Suspects for Child Solicitation
On Thursday, January 14th, Indiana State Police troopers from the Bloomington District concluded a lengthy investigation into reports of child solicitation. The investigation culminated in the arrest of five people, who were residing in four different counties across the state, on charges of Child Solicitation, a Level 4 Felony.
The investigation began in early December when Trp. Robert Whyte received information from a concerned citizen in Lawrence County. It was reported that multiple adult males had allegedly solicited an individual, who they believed to be a 15-year-old girl, to commit sexual acts with them. Trp. Whyte launched five separate investigations and worked closely with the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office throughout the investigation. The detailed investigations included numerous search warrants and analysis of electronic communications between the suspects and victim.
Once the investigations were completed, they were reviewed by the Lawrence County Prosecutor Samuel C Arp III, Deputy Prosecutor Allison Chopra, and then submitted to the Lawrence County Superior Court 1 were The Honorable John Plummer III determined that probable cause existed for the arrest of the five suspects and arrest warrants were issued for each. In addition, search warrants for the residences and electronic devices of the suspects were also issued.
On Thursday evening, Indiana State Police Sgt. Greg Day and the Bloomington District A.C.E.S. (Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Section), along with ISP troopers assigned to Lawrence County, and members of the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office successfully served the five arrest and search warrants simultaneously across the area. The evidence seized during these search warrants are being analyzed for the possibility of other offenses. All five suspects were arrested without incident and incarcerated at the Lawrence County Jail. Additional charges are also possible as the investigation concludes.
The arrested suspects are:
- Roger Keith, 58 years old from Coal City was arrested for Child Solicitation, a Level 4 Felony. He is being held at Lawrence County Jail
- Thomas Pinnick, 25 years old from Mitchell was arrested for Child Solicitation, a Level 4 Felony. He is being held at the Lawrence County Jail
- Brandon Dipasquale, 35 years old from Bloomington was arrested for Child Solicitation, a Level 4 Felony. He is being held at the Lawrence County Jail
- Travis Henry, 47 years old from Bloomington was arrested for Child Solicitation, a Level 4 Felony. He is being held at the Lawrence County Jail
- James Wheeler, 24 years old from Paoli was arrested for Child Solicitation, a Level 4 Felony. He is being held at the Lawrence County Jail
When asked about the investigation, Sgt. Day stated, “I commend not only the teamwork and cooperation to successfully serve five warrants at the same time in four counties but also Trp. Whyte for his tireless hard work on these investigations.” Day continued, “Without a doubt, this investigation has saved young girls in our community from becoming victims to such alleged predators.” Sgt. Day reminds all parents that these dangers are ever-present and a real threat to our vulnerable youth. He encourages parents to monitor closely the types of Apps and the communications that their children are taking part of on social media.
WOOD
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Under the law, criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent and until proven guilty.”
