Court proceedings halted for 66-year-old Salem man accused of sexually assaulting mentally disabled local woman

The trial of a 66-year-old Salem man accused of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled Bartholomew County woman has been stayed until his co-defendants are given the opportunity to change their guilty pleas.

This development in the case of Jon. A. Arnold raises the possibility that a co-defendant will be offered a plea deal in exchange for truthful testimony against the others.

Arnold is charged in Washington Superior Court with 12 counts of “rape while mentally retarded or disabled,” according to state law. Tests have shown the woman has cognitive abilities similar to those of a toddler and is incapable of giving sexual consent, investigators said. All of the rape charges are Level 3 felonies.

The defendant is also charged with human trafficking, a Level 4 felony, and making an unlawful offer, a Class A misdemeanor. In March, Washington County Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt’s office informed the court that they were seeking a more severe sentence for Arnold due to previous convictions.

Arnold’s trial, which will be presided over by Washington Superior Court Judge Dustin Houchin, was originally scheduled to begin on July 16, but the prosecution and defense have agreed to postpone it to 8:30 a.m. on September 17.

In Bartholomew Circuit Court, Arnold is charged with rape, a Level 3 felony, and human trafficking, a Level 4 felony. But his plea change hearing before Judge Kelly Benjamin is not scheduled until 9 a.m. on Sept. 9, with a tentative trial date of Oct. 8.

All of Arnold’s hearings are scheduled after plea change hearings are held in Columbus for three Jonesville residents who lived with the victim. Investigators believe the three drove her to Arnold’s home to provide sexual relations with her in exchange for $600 a month, a court affidavit states. Investigators say the woman was transported to Washington County 12 to 15 times between late 2022 and early 2023.

The co-defendants – Christina L. Moffatt, 28; Christopher S. Lovell, 41; and Brandon A. Jacobs, 38 – are charged in Benjamin’s court with rape as a Level 3 felony and promoting sex trafficking. All three will have a plea change hearing on August 12.

According to the court affidavit, the three co-defendants also engaged in sexual acts with the victim. Lovell is accused of hitting the woman shortly before the birth of her child. As a result, he is charged with domestic violence with bodily injury against a pregnant woman, a Level 5 felony.

In Salem, Hunt’s office has charged Moffatt with promoting prostitution, a Level 5 felony. She is scheduled to appear before Washington District Judge Larry Medlock for a preliminary hearing at 9 a.m. on August 8. A tentative trial date is set for September 3.

Moffatt, Lovell and Jacobs are currently scheduled to appear in Bartholomew Circuit Court at the same time and date: September 10 at 8:30 a.m.