Hancock County Commissioner Arrested for Sexual Assault in Las Vegas

HANCOCK COUNTY, Ind. — A Hancock County commissioner is being held in a local jail awaiting extradition to Las Vegas after being charged with sexual assault in Nevada.

John D. Jessup, 49, was arrested last week and is now registered in the Shelby County Jail as an inmate for a crime in another jurisdiction. Jessup is currently a Hancock County Commissioner, representing Vernon, Green and Brown townships.

Online jail records show Jessup was arrested by Shirley police on Friday, June 14, after Las Vegas Metropolitan police issued a warrant for his arrest. Court records show Jessup is facing sexual assault charges in Clark County, Nevada.

Commission Chairman Bill Spalding said in a statement Monday that Hancock County would not comment on Jessup’s arrest at this time.

“The commissioners do not have much information about the reason for the arrest and will refrain from commenting while that out-of-state agency is pursuing charges and an active investigation is ongoing,” Spalding said. “We will refer any further investigation to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.”

According to court documents, sexual assault charges were filed against Jessup in the state of Nevada on June 11. FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to the LVMPD and Clark County courts for more information on Jessup’s felony charge.