Verhines
An Indianapolis man will serve nearly a year on probation for looking into windows at a Franklin apartment complex last year.
James L. Verhines, 42, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Wednesday to four days in jail and a year of probation for voyeurism, a Class A misdemeanor as a lesser included felony, in Johnson Superior Court 2. He previously served two days in jail and was ordered to spend two additional days in jail before probation began. The probation will include close monitoring, prosecutors say.
Although Verhines has a previous charge for voyeurism, prosecutors were unable to file for an enhancement to raise the charge in his latest case to a felony. Enhancement can only be filed if the latest crime occurred within 12 years of the first connected crime, and Verhine’s previous voyeurism charge was from 23 years ago — making last December’s incident ineligible for enhancement, prosecutors say.
He was charged in February 2000 with criminal trespass and voyeurism, both misdemeanors, in Marion County. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in April 2001 for criminal trespass. The voyeurism charged was dismissed, online court records show.
Verhines has also been charged with public indecency twice as well, in 2005 and 2016.
For the latest case, Verhines was arrested after Franklin Police were called to City View Farms Apartments, 1037 W. Jefferson St., on a report of a suspicious person in December. A woman reported a man was looking into apartment windows and that he would hide when he saw other people. She also saw him walking toward a dumpster area and remove rubber gloves that he was wearing, according to a Franklin Police Department report.
Shortly after officers arrived, they found Verhines. As an officer exited his patrol car, Verhines walked up, telling the officer he was looking for a cat that had run across Jefferson Street, according to the report.
After the officer told Verhines he was there because of reports of him looking into windows, Verhines reportedly said, “Why would I be looking into windows?” He also said he did not know anyone who lived in the apartments and was just passing through Franklin, the report says.
Verhines would later tell police he had been arrested for voyeurism in the past.
Later, the 911 caller told police that Verhines appeared to be bent over with his hands on his knees and his face right up against the window. One of the areas where Verhines hid was dark with only two lights and had no sidewalks, the report shows.
One of the apartments Verhines looked into had its window blinds up, having a clear view into a bedroom. When police looked, a person was inside the room, the report shows.
The 911 caller showed police where she saw Verhines while out walking with her dog. He was in a completely dark area. She later described his actions to hide as deliberate, according to the report.
Police also spoke to a female occupant of the apartment where Verhines was reportedly looking into. She had no idea he was looking into the window and did not know Verhines, the report says.
When police spoke with Verhines, he once again said he was looking for a cat. However, he admitted that there was never a cat and that he had been walking behind the apartment building to clear his head, the report shows.
While walking he saw window blinds go up and saw the female inside the room. Verhines said she looked like his girlfriend, according to the report.
Verhines also admitted to wearing gloves and having thrown them down, initially telling police he was wearing them because of poison ivy. He then said he didn’t want to leave his fingerprints everywhere, the report says.
A search of Verhines’ car found a large number of latex gloves, an empty sexual enhancement pill bottle, four condoms and a “large quantity of used tissue paper,” according to the report.
