Former Winona Lake Man Found Guilty of Underage Sex Crime
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Joe Boals-jboals@timesuniononline.com
James R. Carpenter, 25, of Gadsden, Ala., and formerly of Winona Lake, was found guilty this morning of sexual misconduct with a minor, a class B felony. Carpenter appeared before Judge Duane Huffer in Superior Court I with his council Scott J. Lennox and Prosecutor Daniel H. Hampton. Carpenter was sentenced to six years probation plus administrative costs and fees. As part of a plea agreement entered on January 29, an additional class B felony count of sexual misconduct with a minor was dropped along with the jail sentence. According to the probable cause affidavit, on March 27, 2011, Winona Lake Police Department officers responded to a call of men taunting a man located at 401 Wooster Road, Winona Lake. Upon arrival, they noticed a Ford Taurus quickly leaving the area. Officers stopped the car and found James Carpenter with a 15-year-old female passenger. Carpenter identified himself as the caller and stated that the subjects taunting him had left the area. His passenger stated that the subjects were her brothers and were there to fight Carpenter because they did not want them together. Officers returned the female passenger to her residence and spoke with her mother. The mom alleged that her 15-year-old daughter had been having sex with Carpenter. Carpenter admitted to having sex with the daughter four or five times beginning in Oct. 2010 and that they had sex again in Feb. 2011. Carpenter also said he was aware that the girl was only 15 years old. Carpenter will serve out his probation in Alabama where he currently resides.
