Powell
A New Whiteland man charged in three child molesting cases will serve six years in prison.
Anthony S. Powell, 34, pled guilty to three separate charges of child molesting as a Level 4 felony on Jan. 23. He will serve six years in prison, followed by two years of probation. Powell, who is formerly of Franklin, will also be required to register as a sex offender for life upon his release from prison, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.
“We are pleased to see another child molester go to prison,” said Lance Hamner, Johnson County prosecutor. “It’s very difficult for victims to come forward and tell about what happened to them. Our children are much safer when people like Mr. Powell are in prison where they belong.”
Powell was first charged with child molestation in March 2022, facing three counts of child molesting as a Level 1 felony and two counts of child molesting as a Level 4 felony. Two months later, he was charged with an additional count of child molesting as a Level 4 felony. Last May, a third case was filed against Powell, who was then charged with an additional count of child molestation as a Level 4 felony, and sexual misconduct with a minor as a Level 5 felony.
The first two cases were reported to Franklin Police in March 2022 by the Indiana Department of Child Services. The third case was reported in February 2023 to FPD by DCS, according to probable cause affidavits filed in Johnson Superior Court 3.
In the cases, a child said Powell had touched them inappropriately. In one of the cases, Powell reportedly tied the abuse to requests from the child; every time the child asked him for something he told the child he would only fulfill the request if the child performed a sexual act for him, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Another incident took place in a bounce house during a birthday party in the fall of 2021, an affidavit shows. The periods of abuse in the cases range from a one-time incident to periods of a few years, court documents show.
A jury trial was underway for the first case in December when Powell decided to plead guilty to the Level 4 felony counts from all three cases, according to online court records. As part of the plea agreement, the remaining charges from the cases were dismissed.
Level 4 felonies carry a sentencing range of 2 to 12 years, with the advisory sentence being six years.
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.
