Welfare check leads to arrests on child molesting, more
This week the Huntingburg Police Department, Dubois County Sheriff’s Department, Jasper Police Department worked together to arrest six people on warrants in connection to an investigation that was launched by the Huntingburg Police Department on July 12, 2018.
The initial call was on July 11th 2018 when Huntingburg Police were dispatched to a location in Huntingburg reference a welfare check on a 14-year-old juvenile who was possibly under the influence of methamphetamine. Huntingburg Police located the juvenile and the juvenile was transported to the hospital due to her condition.
On July 12, 2018 the detective with the Huntingburg Police Department along with the Huntingburg Police Department Narcotic Officer, the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department Narcotic Officer, and the Jasper Police Department Narcotic Officer, started an investigation to look into the incident from July 11.
Through their investigation police learned that several adults were contributing drugs to the 14-year-old. Police say that two adult males allegedly had a sexual relationship with the juvenile.
Police say that Leonel Hernandez had sexual relations with a juvenile in July of 2018. Police learned that Leonel was also allegedly contributing drugs to the juvenile.
During the investigation, police learned that Austin Elliot allegedly had sexual relations with a juvenile in 2017.
Six people were arrested in relation to the investigation.
Austin R. Elliott, 24, 609 E. First Ave., Huntingburg, is charged with a Level 1 felony count of child molesting.
Leonel A. Hernandez, 26, 911 S. Main St., Huntingburg, is charged with a Level 4 felony count of sexual misconduct with a minor and a Level 5 felony count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Cassandra B. Cole, 39, 609 1/2 E. Fifth St., Huntingburg, is charged with two Level 5 felony counts of neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony count of neglect of a dependent and a misdemeanor count of driving while suspended.
Trisha R. Kendall, 24, 113 E. 17th St., Huntingburg, is charged with a Level 5 felony count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and three misdemeanor counts of paraphernalia possession.
Chealsey A. Mattingly, 18, 408 N. Washington St., Huntingburg, is charged with a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Jessica Adams, 22, of Huntingburg, is charged with a Level 5 felony count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
All suspects are presumed innocent.
Cassie just can’t stay out of trouble. Your daughter for heaven sakes.
I don’t know you, or if your family to Cassi or Stormi. But you can’t possibly even begin to know what’s actually been going on these past few months. Cassi was working very hard to try to help Stormi. She wasn’t negligent and she didn’t contribute to any of what happened. She worked night shift, she was sober, and doing the best she knew how to do. She had put rules up for her daughter. She had people who checked in on her daughter while she was at work to make sure she was home where she was supposed to be. She had taken her phone from her. She even at one point went and took her daughter from the person giving her drugs house and confronted the person giving the drugs to her. But her daughter got another phone from a friend, she had the people who checked in on her cover for her absence and wasn’t honest about where she was going and with whom she was going with. So to be honest I apologize if I come across disrespectful, but even if you are family or somehow related, you obviously have NO idea what’s really been going on. There are a lot of people who deserve blame and punishment for what was going on…but CASSI…she isn’t one of them. Not this time. And since she can’t defend herself right now, I will. Don’t ridicule someone, especially a mother, especially a mother who is a recovering drug addict herself, and especially publicly when you CLEARLY don’t know any of the details about the situation.
Perhaps All I should say is you don’t know the whole story. And that Cassi didn’t contribute to any of this. Maybe she didn’t do everything perfect but she was trying to help her daughter. She was working very hard and she doesn’t actually deserve to be in jail for this. She loves her daughter and was fighting to help her.
Well spoken. We all have a past, but we deserve a clean slate! Innocent until proven guilty