VanSickle
An Anderson man is accused of molesting a child multiple times more than 17 years ago in Franklin.
Neale VanSickle, 41, is charged with two counts of child molestation as a Class C felony. The charges were filed under Indiana’s old criminal code because the incidents took place before 2014, when the code was updated and moved to the numeric felony system.
The molestation incidents occurred between 2007 and 2009, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Johnson Superior Court 3 on June 21. VanSickle was booked into the jail on a warrant on Monday afternoon.
In July 2023, a woman and a relative told Franklin Police that VanSickle had reportedly sexually assaulted the woman when she was a child. The woman told investigators that she had told a relative about the incident when they were younger, but were led to believe it didn’t happen and it was a dream, according to the affidavit.
The woman told police about three incidents that occurred when they were a child at a Franklin home between August 2007 and July or August 2009.
The incidents allegedly involved inappropriate touching of the child and a game involving sexual acts, court documents say.
The woman told investigators that when she was in high school, she watched a movie that led to her getting flashbacks of her own abuse. She felt like she couldn’t talk to anyone and began to write about it in a journal. She also told a friend about the abuse, the affidavit says.
After further interviews and investigation, detectives went to speak with VanSickle, who was aware of the investigation. He said he had heard about allegations from a relative years earlier, but said it was a bad dream the child had, the affidavit says.
VanSickle denied the allegations and didn’t understand why it was being reported, court documents say.
Non-emergency help dealing with sexual assault resources is available at Franklin-based ASSIST Indiana at 317-739-4456. For a complete list of resources from the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, visit icesaht.org/get-help/. For emergency help dealing with sexual assault call or text 911.
