Gillenwater
A Franklin man is facing two high-level child molestation charges after prosecutors allege he sexually abused a teenager on several occasions.
Charles William Gillenwater, 45, formerly of Bainbridge, is charged with two counts of child molesting, one as a Class A felony and one as a Level 1 felony. The Class A Felony charge results from an incident have taken place prior to changes in Indiana’s criminal code in mid-2014.
Last February, Bargersville detectives were notified that a teenager had allegedly been sexually abused by Gillenwater. The incidents reportedly took place 7 to 8 years prior around 2014-15, according to a probable cause affidavit filed on Feb. 7 in Johnson County Circuit Court.
A woman told police that Gillenwater, allegedly forced a teen to perform a sexual act on him several times, with the abuse ending around November 2021, according to the affidavit.
The teen reported the abuse to the woman around January 2022, the affidavit shows.
Detectives asked Gillenwater to come in for an interview about the incidents in March 2022. Gillenwater allegedly agreed, and said he would reach out to detectives to schedule a time to talk, the affidavit says.
Two weeks after this, detectives reached out to him again about the interview. He allegedly did not respond to investigators’ attempts to reach him by phone or text, the affidavit shows.
A warrant was issued for Gillenwater’s arrest on Feb. 8, and he was subsequently booked into the Johnson County jail on Feb. 9. His bond was set at $80,000, and he was later let out on bond.
An initial hearing has not yet been set.
