A Syracuse man was arrested after allegedly inappropriately touching a minor under the age of 16.
Gordon C. White, 42, of 12191 N. Woodland Acres Drive, Syracuse, is charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, a level 5 felony.
He was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail at 9:51 p.m. Tuesday on a $17,500 preliminary bond.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Oct. 16, 2023, Kosciusko County dispatch advised Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office of a possible sex crime. The caller said a minor was inappropriately touched by an older man, later identified as White, at a residence.
A KCSO deputy spoke with a woman who said the minor visited a second child then later the minor called the woman crying and wanted to be picked up. The woman picked up the minor, who said White inappropriately touched them.
The woman texted a relative of White's about the incident and White responded the allegations were not true and he and the children just tickled each other.
On Oct. 18, 2023, the minor was forensically interviewed at the Safe Harbor Advocacy Center in Warsaw. The minor said on Oct. 15, 2023, she was in the basement of a residence. White and the minor were sitting on a couch with a blanket. The minor said White inappropriately touched them. The minor also said White had previously slapped their bottom and had asked them to wear booty shorts. The minor also said White had massaged them and had exposed himself to the minor.
The minor’s cell phone was downloaded and officers located videos showing White rubbing the minor’s head, slapping their bottom and laying between the minor’s legs.
On Nov. 13, 2023, a KCSO detective talked with White. White said he always tickled the two minors. He said the two minors and he sat on the couch to watch a thriller movie on the night of the incident. He said touched the minor’s legs, but nothing else.
The detective showed White a video of White and the minor from the minor’s phone. White admitted in retrospect his behavior with the minor did not make him look the best, but nothing was done maliciously, according to court documents.
On Nov. 20, 2023, the second child was interviewed at the Safe Harbor Advocacy Center. The second child said they didn’t know about the incident with the minor.
On Nov. 28, 2023, the detective spoke with one of White’s relatives, who said they found White’s relationship with the minor was normal. The relative said White told the minor to put on more clothes at times. The relative said they never witnessed any behavior that would be red flags.
The detective showed the relative still shots of videos with White and the minor from the minor’s cell phone. The relative said they never saw behavior like that in person and the photographs didn’t make White look good. The relative said they didn’t know how they felt about the photographs.