Police: 28-year-old man pretending to be 19 faces child-sex charges
NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WISH) — A 28-year-old Kentucky man who portrayed himself as a 19-year-old to a 15-year-old girl faces child-sex charges, Indiana State Police said Wednesday.
Shawn C. Riedesel was arrested July 2 after a state police traffic stop near the girl’s family home, which state police say is in Floyd County. That’s west of Louisville, Kentucky, across the Ohio River.
During the traffic stop, Riedesel was carrying a Minnesota driver’s license, but investigators think he lives in Louisville, Kentucky, says a news release from Indiana State Police.
The parents of the girl on June 25 reported to Indiana State Police at the Sellersburg station that their daughter was in a “possible inappropriate relationship,” the release said. Investigators found communications that showed Riedesel was trying to meet the girl secretly. Numerous communications were “allegedly sexual in nature.”
Riedesel faces four felony charges: sexual misconduct with a minor, child solicitation, child exploitation, and possession of child pornography. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
He was formally charged July 8 in Floyd Circuit Court. On Wednesday, he was denied an alteration of his $100,000 bond, according to online court records.
State police said Wednesday that Riedesel was being held in the Floyd County Jail, which does not have an online listing of its inmates.
Indiana law allows people 16 and older to make their own decisions about sexual relations.
The Indiana Department of Child Services assisted with the investigation.
Indiana State Police used the case as a reminder for caregivers to monitor social media and online communications of children.