Teen girl told deputies she woke to man ‘playing with himself’ at foot of bed

ANDERSON, Ind. — A teenage girl told Madison County Sheriff’s deputies she would wake up in the middle of the night to an Anderson man standing at the foot of her bed masturbating.

He claimed to be looking for the cat.

Robert L. Short, 30, was arrested on Monday on a warrant issued in February. He’s charged with neglect of a dependent, a Level 6 felony; performance before a minor that is harmful to minors, a Level 6 felony; and obscene performance, a misdemeanor. He’s since bonded out of jail after posting a $500 bail.

According to court documents, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department was first informed about the allegations against Short in October 2024. The mother of the victim confronted Short about how he’d allegedly been “playing with himself” in her daughter’s bedroom at night.

Investigators would learn Short’s reported behavior had been going on for some time. The victim recalled waking up in the middle of the night to Short standing at the foot of her bed and touching himself. He’d claim to be looking for the cat but there was no cat in the bedroom.

One of the times Short was even allegedly completely naked and wouldn’t answer the teen’s question about why he was in her room. He just stared, making eye contact with her.

The teenager said Short would also masturbate in the bathroom across from her room while watching pornography on his phone. He would reportedly leave the door open and be in full view.

Investigators gained access to the victim’s mother’s phone and found several text messages where the teen informed her mother about Short’s behavior. The victim even talked about how she’d put a chair and a blanket in front of her door to try and keep Short out of her room.

When police spoke to the girl’s mother, she admitted to being aware of the allegations for roughly a year but had only recently confronted Short about them.

The text messages confirmed this delayed response with the victim texting her mother in early October, “Obv don’t care enough because I’m still living in a house with a disgusting pervert.”

When the mother finally confronted Short, he allegedly told her “you already know the answer” when asked if it was true he was going in the girl’s bedroom to masturbate. Other times, Short just wouldn’t respond.

The mother told police she delayed involving the police due to fears of DCS removing her children from her home.

Short denied speaking to police and said he would be contacting an attorney. An arrest warrant was eventually issued in February with Short arrested on Monday.

If convicted of a Level 6 felony, Short could face up to two and a half years in prison.