Indianapolis Sex Crime Lawyer

Knowing when and how to protect your rights is key in any criminal defense case. If you are arrested for an Indiana sex crime, remember:

• You have the right to stay silent except to say you will not answer questions without your attorney present
• You should ask to call your attorney, if you wish to have counsel
• When you call your attorney, an Indianapolis sex crime lawyer from Keffer Hirschauer LLP can be reached at (317) 751-7186, and know that anything you say on a police station phone line can be listened to and recorded
• Wait for your attorney to arrive before engaging in conversation with anyone

The process after arrest for Indiana sex crimes is fairly standard. The following events are typical:

• An initial hearing in which the court tells the accused of the specific charges
• The judge will inform the accused of his or her rights
• The accused will have a chance to enter a plea, usually guilty or not guilty
• Both the defense counsel and the State will engage in investigation and discovery, obtaining evidence and witnesses and sharing witness lists and statements, police reports, and statements by complaining witnesses with the other side
• The prosecutor or defense counsel may file pre-trial motions to try to suppress evidence that was illegally obtained or interrogations that were held illegally

It is crucial to have the right voice speaking for you at each stage in an Indiana sex crimes trial. Public defenders are available to those who cannot afford to hire counsel, but having a privately hired, dedicated team of attorneys familiar with sex crimes defense is ideal for adequately and aggressively protecting your rights at all stages. Indiana criminal defense attorneys from Keffer Hirschauer LLP ably and skillfully handle criminal defense throughout the term of your case.

Indiana Sex Crimes Categories

Sex crimes are crimes committed with a sexual motive. The category is a broad one and encompasses a variety of offenses involving sexual conduct committed against or otherwise victimizing someone else. Following is a list of some Indiana sex crimes:

• Rape: Having sexual intercourse, or causing someone to submit to or perform other sexual conduct, by way of force (without consent) or with a victim who is legally unable to consent
• Sexual battery: Touching another person for sexual arousal by force, threat of force, or without consent, even if the person being touched is unaware
• Prostitution: Performing or agreeing to perform sexual intercourse or other sexual conduct, in exchange for payment
• Human trafficking: Selling or transferring custody of either a child or adult for the purpose of participating in sexual conduct

The Indiana Code also criminalizes certain conduct involving or relating to minors:

• Child exploitation: A range of offenses including both child exploitation and possession of child pornography, criminalizes the production, exhibition, possession, and dissemination of material considered to be obscene and involving the depiction of anyone less than 18 years old
• Sale or distribution of obscene matter: This self-explanatory offense is elevated to a Level 6 felony if the victim is less than 18 years old
• Vicarious sexual gratification/sexual conduct in presence of a minor: Directing, aiding, inducing, or causing a child under age 16 to touch him- or herself or another child less than 16 years old for the child’s or the viewer’s sexual gratification
• Child solicitation: Commanding, authorizing, urging, inciting, requesting, or advising by an adult of a child less than 14 years old, or believed to be under the age of 14, to engage in specified sexual acts
• Sexual misconduct with a minor: Sexual intercourse, deviate sexual conduct, or fondling or touching with intent to sexually arouse either the minor or the accused when the minor is 14 or 15 years old
• Child seduction: Sexual intercourse, deviate sexual conduct, or fondling or touching by a stepparent, adoptive parent, adoptive grandparent, guardian, custodian childcare worker, or military recruiter with intent to sexually arouse either a minor (aged 16 or 17) or the accused
• Child molesting: Sexual conduct with someone less than 14 years old, even if the accused believed the child to be over the age of 14 at the time of the conduct
• Unlawful employment by a sexual predator: Employment or volunteering by an offender against children or a sexually violent predator at a prohibited list of locations including schools, parks, and youth program centers

Allegations of rape on a college campus follow a different path. Colleges have federally mandated reporting and hearing protocols. The accused is subject to penalties such as suspension, expulsion, or probation on top of any separate criminal prosecution. By hiring an Indianapolis sex crime lawyer from Keffer Hirschauer LLP, you also get an attorney experienced in Title IX defense, who can coordinate the college and criminal cases to protect your rights in both.