Vaughn
An Indianapolis man is accused of inappropriately touching a child at a Franklin mobile home.
Porter M. Vaughn, 66, is charged with child molestation as a Level 1 felony. Level 1 felonies are the highest possible charges other than murder.
Franklin police opened an investigation in December 2022 after a woman reported that a child had been molested. The child had gone to daycare at a home in a mobile home park on the 3000 block of N. Morton St. when the incident allegedly occurred, according to a probable cause affidavit filed on Nov. 20 in Johnson Circuit Court.
When the child was picked up from the home, they said that Vaughn had reportedly touched them inappropriately by licking their rear end. The woman told police the child was actually referring to their genitals, something the child later confirmed in a body safety activity. The woman took a child to a doctor, who said they saw irritation near their genitals. The child later underwent a sexual assault exam, according to the affidavit.
When detectives spoke with Vaughn, he denied touching the child. He said during the last time he saw the child, he had drawn a bath for them, left the bathroom and sat on the couch. The child reportedly kept calling out to him, and at one point he uttered a phrase about the child being “spoiled rotten” that he said could’ve led the child to say something about him licking their rear end, the affidavit shows.
After the child got out of the bath, and after a woman came to the home, Vaughn reportedly overheard the woman telling the child to get their hand out of their pants. He said the irritation on the child’s genitals was from the child scratching themselves, according to the affidavit.
In August, detectives received results from a sexual assault kit. The swabs were insufficient and no male DNA was detected, the affidavit says.
In October, detectives spoke with the woman who made the initial report. She said the child was still talking about the incident, the affidavit shows.
An initial hearing is set for Thursday.
