A jury trial began Tuesday for a Warsaw man facing two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, resulting from incidents that allegedly occurred in spring 2012. Franklin "Frankie" L. Engle, 35, Warsaw, was arrested in January 2013 following a two-month investigation by the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department Detective Division. The investigation alleges that Engle sexually assaulted and molested two teenaged girls, ages 14 and 15 at the time of the reported incidents. Warsaw Police Department Officer Brad Kellar took the stand Tuesday and testified he began the investigation in November 2012 when he was employed as a patrol deputy for KCSD. Kellar told the jury Engle's ex-wife contacted the department and told him she found "disturbing messages" on her personal computer that led her to believe Engle had been having an inappropriate sexual relationship with more than one minor female. Some messages, sexual in nature, were between Engle and what appeared to be a 12-year-old female. The messages also indicated Engle had sexual encounters with other minor females. Kellar said the investigation led him to two potential victims, one of whom initially denied any sexual encounter with Engle. The other admitted to her mother Engle had touched her inappropriately and had sex with her at a Memorial Day party in May 2012. Kellar then turned the investigation over to Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department Detective J.D. Ayres. Ayres then took the stand and testified that he continued the investigation by interviewing both potential victims. Ayres said the victim who initially denied a sexual encounter with Engle then admitted Engle had touched her inappropriately when he was driving her back from Wyoming where she had visited her grandparents in June 2012. Ayres was able to locate Engle in January 2013, who was then residing in Fort Wayne. Ayres told the jury Engle denied all allegations of the sexual encounters with the minor females and when asked if he had sex with one of the victims, Engle told Ayres, “That would have never happened.” Ayres said Engle was calm during their conversation and seemingly was not upset about the allegations. Tuesday's jury trial continued with the mothers of both potential victims taking the stand and concluded with the victims themselves taking the stand to testify against Engle. Both girls told the jury that Engle had touched them inappropriately, with one explaining he had sex with her. Both girls admitted they did not attempt to tell Engle “no” during the encounters and that he had not threatened them in any way. The trial continues today in Kosciusko County Superior Court I in front of Judge Duane Huffer.
