Arnold
While a Salem resident accused of having sexual relations with a mentally deficient woman was able to bond out of jail in Columbus, Jon Arnold found himself in even more legal trouble back in his hometown.
Appearing for an initial hearing in Washington Circuit Court Thursday, the 65-year-old Arnold was formally charged Tuesday with one count of human trafficking as a Level 4 felony and 12 counts of rape – all Level 3 felonies.
If convicted on all counts, Washington Circuit Judge Larry Medlock could sentence Arnold to between 36 and 142 years in prison, as well as order the defendant to pay $130,000 in fines.
Arnold is facing one count of rape and one count of human trafficking in Bartholomew County, according to court records.
The defendant was set free from the Bartholomew County Jail on Sept. 22 after posting a $45,000 cash bond, a court official in Columbus said. But if Arnold wants to get out of the Salem jail, he’ll have to come up with an additional $60,000, online court records state. Medlock has scheduled a bond review hearing for Arnold at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12.
In Columbus, Circuit Judge Kelly Benjamin has set a change of plea hearing for Arnold at 1:45 p.m. on Jan. 4, with a tentative trial date of Jan. 30.
In Salem, Medlock set a bond hearing for 9 a.m. on Oct. 12, as well as a pre-trial conference or change of plea hearing at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 2. Although the Washington County judge scheduled a trial date for Jan. 2, a court reporter says she anticipates the trial date will be pushed back until later in 2024.
The case originated when Bartholomew County Adult Protective Services was contacted by Columbus Regional Hospital about the birth of a child July 6 to a woman who was diagnosed as having the mental capability of a toddler. Later, it was determined the woman lacked the cognitive ability to consent to enter into a sexual relationship, a probable cause affidavit states.
In a lengthy investigation, detectives learned the victim had resided with three people in Jonesville identified as Brandon A. Jacobs, 37; Christina L. Moffatt, 27 and Christopher S. Lovell, 41.
Lovell had been arrested for battering the female while she was pregnant on April 27, the affidavit states. Body camera footage related to that incident indicates that Jacobs or Lovell were possible fathers of the victim’s child, the court document states.
Authorities became aware of the Washington County defendant after Lovell told detectives he saw a man later identified as Arnold engage in sexual acts with the victim in Arnold’s home, according to the affidavit. The victim was allegedly transported by Lovell and Moffatt to Salem in an $600 a month arrangement where the woman was made available multiple times each month, the affidavit states.
Jacobs, Moffatt and Lovell are all facing identical charges in Bartholomew Circuit Court: Rape when the victim is mentally disabled or deficient as a Level 3 felony, and human trafficking as a Level 4 felony.
The defendants are not scheduled back in Benjamin’s courtroom until their change of plea hearing or pre-trial conference in early January.
