ANGOLA – A Friday afternoon incident at Pokagon State Park led to the arrest of a Mentone man on charges of child molestation. David J. Elleneberger, 25, Mentone, faces charges of child molestation, a Class A felony. On Friday at approximately 4:14 p.m., deputies from the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department were called to the Potawatomi Inn Pokagon State Park on Lake James for a call of a child allegedly being molested in a hotel bathroom. Deputies arrived to discover that adults within the hotel had held the alleged suspect until they could arrive. Deputies learned through the initial investigation that Elleneberger allegedly approached a four-year-old victim while inside a restroom near the indoor swimming pool area, where the alleged molestation occurred. Deputies transported Elleneberger to the sheriff’s office where formal interviews were conducted by sheriff’s detectives. During the interviews, Elleneberger confessed to the molestation. Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division investigators assisted SCSO detectives with the interviews and investigation. The four-year-old victim was from another state, vacationing with family and did not know the suspect at all. The investigation was turned over to IDNR Law Enforcement Division investigators and the Steuben County Prosecutor. Elleneberger was arraigned in magistrate court Monday at 1 p.m., charged and his bond set at $100,000. Elleneberger was later released after posting bond.
