Child safety talk leads to sexual assault arrest of 2

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — A presentation from a child advocacy center led to the arrests of a two people in connection to the sexual assaults of two children, Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger said Friday. 

Anderson-based group Kids Talk on Thursday talked about body safety with elementary school students at Anderson Preparatory Academy, a K-12 charter school described here as a “military style academy.” After the presentation, a student told Kids Talk staff about incidents in her home, which led to interviews with her and one of her juvenile siblings about sexual assaults they said they had experienced. 

Detectives located 43-year-old Jeremiah Grier at the high school of Anderson Preparatory Academy, where he works as a part-time school suspension monitor and substitute teacher. He was arrested and faces a preliminary charge of child molesting, Mellinger said. 

Investigators believe 41-year-old Amber Arias knew the abuse had happened and failed to report it. She was arrested and faces a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent.

Grier and Arias remained in the Madison County Jail on Friday.