Danville teen charged with child molestation, possession of child sex abuse material

DANVILLE, Ind. – A Hendricks County teen accused of sex crimes against three underage girls faces multiple charges.

According to court records, 18-year-old Jaron Hamilton is charged with 10 felonies, including one count of child molesting and nine counts of possession of child sex abuse material.

He was booked into the Hendricks County Jail on Tuesday.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Hamilton is accused of having sex with underage girls and possessing nude images of a minor on his phone.

Hamilton had already been on probation for violating a restraining order with a 14-year-old girl, court documents indicated.

The investigation started on Sept. 9, when a 13-year-old girl ran away from home and ended up at Hamilton’s residence in Danville. He wasn’t home at the time, but a contractor working on the home called the homeowner, who then contacted the police.

The girl told an officer she had a sexual encounter with Hamilton in April. That led to a forensic interview at a child advocacy center in which the girl detailed her history with Hamilton and said they’d had sex in the “heat of the moment” and it “just happened.”

She also claimed Hamilton was dating an underage girl from Florida.

Police obtained a search warrant for Hamilton’s phone and brought him in for questioning. During his Oct. 1 interview, he initially denied having sex with the girl and asked if doing so would have violated his probation. He eventually admitted to the encounter, according to the affidavit.

He called it a “mistake.” Although he earlier said he knew she was 13, he told the investigator he thought she may have been 16 and expressed concerns about violating his probation, according to court documents.

An investigator asked Hamilton if he had nude photos or videos of girls on his phone. He said he did; a search of the device turned up 85 explicit images and videos of a girl who appeared to be underage. Investigators discovered the material involved a 14-year-old girl who lived in Florida.

The girl’s mother told investigators she was aware of Hamilton but thought he was 16. Hamilton told police he “knew he could not possess nude images of a juvenile,” according to court documents.

Hamilton told investigators he’d violated a protection order involving a third minor by contacting her and engaging in sex acts with her in December while her parents were asleep.

Hamilton told police he was “unsure why he had not been criminally charged with having sexual intercourse” with the third girl. He also expressed his hope that he’d stay out of trouble so he could get off probation in November, according to court documents.

Court records show the Hendricks County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Hamilton on Tuesday. A judge issued an arrest warrant on the same day.