The long-time caregiver of a disabled woman who lives in a group home was arrested after the woman told police he touched her inappropriately three times this summer.
Theodore Dennis Kasting, 65, of Bargersville, was arrested on charges of sexual battery and neglect of a dependent after the woman he had cared for for four years told police about three incidents that happened in June and July. The incidents took place in a Trafalgar group home where she lives and Kasting works as an employee of Indiana Mentor, a statewide nonprofit organization that serves the disabled.
Kasting was arrested on Sept. 13 on two Level 6 felonies. The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what, if any, charges to file.
Kasting works for Indiana Mentor, a non-profit organization that provides services for adults with disabilities. Indiana Mentor has multiple offices around the state, including a local office in Franklin, and employees of the agency work in local group homes helping residents with cooking, housekeeping and hygiene tasks, according to the organization’s website.
The woman, who has cognitive disabilities, told an employee of Indiana Mentor on Aug. 14 that Kasting had touched her inappropriately. The organization launched an internal investigation and called Franklin police on Aug. 30.
The victim is an upper-middle-aged woman who is independent in comparison to other residents, but functions at a much lower level than her age represents, Franklin police said.
Police arranged a child advocacy center interview with the victim on Sept. 12, and she told police that Kasting would touch her in the back of the group home, near her bedroom, likely because it was more secluded in that area, according to the investigation conducted by Detective Sgt. Justin Stall.
She told police that Kasting made her feel uncomfortable, scared and embarrassed, which is why she waited before telling anyone, the report said.
Once, Kasting asked her if the touching made her feel good. She told police she considered slapping him, but it was against the rules, the report said.
She told police that in addition to three specific incidents of inappropriate touching, Kasting would often hug her or sit on her lap, and that she would ask him to please stop or try to avoid him, the report said.
Kasting told police on Friday that he was aware of the three incidents, and called them abuse, according to the report. He told the investigator that he knew his actions were wrong, he regretted it and was sorry and embarrassed, the report said. He was arrested that day.
Indiana Mentor suspended Kasting from his job for the duration of the investigation, according to the report. The status of his employment was unclear on Thursday. Police have asked Indiana Mentor for its internal investigation, the report said.
The Trafalgar group home where the incidents took place is owned by IGROUP, LLC, a Fishers-based developer. The group also owns another home in Trafalgar, as well as homes in Greenwood, Bargersville and Franklin.
The group home where the incidents took place is licensed through the Indiana State Department of Health. The home received an updated license in December, is licensed to house adults ages 26 to 82 and has eight certified beds.
A manager with Indiana Mentor’s Franklin office refused to explain the nonprofit’s connection to the group home, comment on the status of Kasting’s employment with the organization or comment about the investigation.
Kasting, of 328 Saffron Way, was taken to the Johnson County jail, where he was released on $2,400 bond, Sheriff Duane Burgess said. The prosecutor’s office had not received any information about the case from police by mid-afternoon Thursday, so the review for criminal charges had not yet started, Prosecutor Joe Villanueva said.
