Hearings continued in trafficking case

Prosecutors and defense attorneys have been given until late this spring to prepare their cases regarding four individuals accused of being involved in multiple rapes of a woman and human sexual trafficking.

Change of plea hearings were originally scheduled Thursday in Bartholomew Circuit Court for Christopher S. Lovell, 41; Christina L. Moffatt, 27; and Brandon A. Jacobs, 37. The three were sharing a home in Jonesville at the time of their arrest, along with the victim – a pregnant, mentally deficient woman determined by investigators to lack the cognitive ability to consent to a sexual relationship.

Also appearing in court Thursday was Jon A. Arnold, 65, Salem. All defendants are charged with rape as a Level 4 felony. Arnold has been additionally charged with human trafficking at a Level 4 felony, while the remaining three are facing one count of of promotion of human sexual trafficking – also a Level 4 felony.

If found guilty on all counts, each defendant could face up to 28 years in prison. But Lovell could receive an additional one to six years if found guilty in a related, but separate case. He was charged last April with domestic battery with bodily injury to a pregnant woman as a Level 5 felony. The victim in both cases was the same woman.

During Thursday’s hearings, both defense attorneys and prosecutors told Judge Kelly Benjamin they still have a substantial amount of evidence to gather and share with the other side – a process known as discovery. In addition, at least two depositions of witnesses are scheduled to take place within the next few weeks, the attorneys said.

Public defender Michael DeArmitt also told the judge he only received Lovell’s case on Dec. 12, and has not yet had time to familiarize himself with the case.

A change of plea or pre-trial conference had been scheduled for the four defendants on the same day: Monday, May 6. The current schedule calls for Lovell’s hearing to get underway at 9 a.m.; Jacobs at 10 a.m.; Arnold at 11 a.m.; and Moffitt at 1:30 p.m.

Lovell, Moffatt and Jacobs remain in the Bartholomew County Jail in lieu of a $450,000 surety bond or 10% cash. While Arnold has been free since posting a $45,000 cash bond on Sept. 22, a protective order prevents him, as well as the other defendants, from contacting the victim.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Adult Protective Services had been contacted by Columbus Regional Hospital about the birth of a child on July 6. After meeting with Columbus Regional Hospital police, social workers and the hospital birthing staff, investigators determined the mother was not mentally capable of agreeing to a consensual sexual relationship.

In a lengthy investigation, Bartholomew County detectives learned the woman had resided with Jacobs, Moffatt and Lovell in Jonesville. Evidence suggests that Jacobs or Lovell are possible fathers of the victim’s child, according to the affidavit.

Lovell said he had witnessed others perform sexual acts on the victim that included Moffatt, detectives said. Lovell also claims he saw a video on Moffatt’s cellphone in which Jacobs was having intercourse with the woman, the affidavit states.

Investigators believe the victim was taken to Arnold’s residence in Salem multiple times in an arrangement for sexual relations in exchange for $600 a month, the affidavit states. The mentally deficient woman was taken to Arnold’s residence between 12 and 15 times between late 2022 and early 2023, investigators said.

Detectives stated that Jacobs admitted to engaging in intercourse with the victim in December 2022, but said he believed Lovell was the father of the baby.

The victim is now under the care of a guardian and the baby is also being cared for in a safe situation, detectives stated.