‘Take it to our graves’: Hancock County man arrested for sexual misconduct with a minor

HANCOCK COUNTY, Ind. — Police have arrested a Hancock County man accused of touching a minor inappropriately.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, Michael Deemer has been preliminarily charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, which is a level 5 felony.

According to court documents, an investigation was launched on July 10 when police were contacted by the victim, who stated that they were ready to move forward with the investigation.

Investigation, arrest

Throughout their investigation, police investigated allegations that Deemer had inappropriately touched the victim when they were 14 years old. The victim accused Deemer of touching them in a sexually explicit manner when their mother was out of the country for a business trip.

Court documents noted that detectives sifted through the victim’s journal while looking through available evidence, which reportedly contained multiple references to incidents involving Deemer. The journal documented different instances that allegedly occurred between Dec. 27, 2022, and July 31, 2023.

The victim added that they had attempted to speak with Deemer about the alleged incident and that he claimed he did not remember anything due to “being so intoxicated.”

The victim recalled Deemer allegedly telling her that the incident could not be known by anyone else and that they had to “take it to our graves,” court documents said.

The victim told investigators they did not disclose any of the alleged incidents to anyone until they were 18 or 19 years old. Detectives established contact with Deemer on July 22 to discuss the allegations brought forward against him.

Court documents noted that Deemer seemed “surprised” and asked what the allegations were related to. Detectives then listened to audio recordings that had been collected during a family court hearing on Sept. 30, 2024. Deemer could be heard denying the allegations, according to court documents.

Next steps

Online court records indicate Deemer is scheduled to appear in Hancock Superior Court 1 on Dec. 16 for a jury trial. Records show Deemer entered a not guilty plea on Wednesday as the court set a cash bond at $5,000 alongside a No Contact Order.

Deemer was required by the court to relinquish his passport to the Hancock County Prosecutor’s Office ahead of a pre-trial conference set to take place on Oct. 14.