Franklin man facing high-level child sex crime charges

A Franklin man is facing high-level child sex crime charges after prosecutors say he had inappropriately touched several children during at least four separate incidents from 2011 to 2018 in Edinburgh and Greenwood.

Mark S. Bray, 49, was charged with one count of child molesting as a Class A felony, one count of child molesting as a Level 1 felony, two counts of child molesting as a Level 4 felony and sexual misconduct with a minor, also a Level 4 felony. The Class A felony charge is due to one incident taking place prior to July 1, 2014, which was before Indiana’s Criminal Code was updated and switched to the level system.

The investigation into Bray began after Edinburgh police were notified by a former Johnson County resident that her children reported several sexual abuse incidents. The woman had been watching a documentary about crimes against children when one of the children spoke up about an incident, and the other children later reported incidents as well, according to a probable cause affidavit filed June 2 in Johnson County Superior Court 3.

The incidents took place in both Edinburgh and Greenwood, and the woman contacted the Indiana Department of Child Services and appropriate law enforcement agencies after learning of the incidents, according to the affidavit.

Edinburgh Police then spoke with the victims, and the first victim told police that from the summer of 2011 to 2017, they had repeatedly been forced by Bray to perform sexual acts multiple times a week throughout the nearly six-year-span. The incidents happened so often it became a normal part of their life, the affidavit says.

Bray told the victim he was going to teach them about sexual intercourse, and subjected them to intercourse, video pornography and other sexual acts. The victim told police they only came forward after being informed of what happened to the other children, the affidavit says.

The second victim told police that the first incident for them took place in Edinburgh in 2014 when Bray had unclothed them and touched them inappropriately. The victim told police this took place several times, but they could not remember the details for all the incidents. There was also another incident in early 2018 in Greenwood where Bray did the same thing, the affidavit says.

The third victim told police that Bray touched them inappropriately and had also kissed them inappropriately. This incident took place prior to October 2017, according to the affidavit.

The fourth victim told police about an incident that occurred in 2012 in Edinburgh. During the incident, Bray had inappropriately touched the child, the affidavit said.

Because one incident took place in Greenwood, Edinburgh police notified Greenwood police about the investigation. Greenwood detectives contacted Bray and were able to speak with him in July 2021. Bray denied the allegations and questioned the motives of the victims for bringing the allegations up, the affidavit says.

Detectives offered Bray the opportunity the option to take a lie detector test, but he declined, saying he wanted to do his own research on the test. Greenwood detectives also gave Bray the contact information for Edinburgh detectives, as they also wanted to speak with him. Bray did not contact Edinburgh police and did not return officers’ calls regarding the investigation, according to the affidavit.

Bray was arrested on a warrant Thursday and was taken to the Johnson County jail on a $96,000 bond. An initial hearing has not yet been set.