INDIANAPOLIS – A Fishers man is facing more than 100 new charges after Hancock County authorities said he broke a no-contact order while in jail.
Akeenen Hunt, 34, is accused of previously kidnapping and raping a woman back in December.
Some 30 pages of court documents outline the more than 100 new charges Hunt now faces after investigators say he continued to harass a victim while behind bars.
Hunt had already been in jail on 17 charges of domestic battery, kidnapping, confinement and rape.
“Through that investigation they had reason to believe while he was in jail, Mr. Hunt contacted the victim of the previous case,” Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton said. “And in fact [he] did so on a regular basis.”
Investigators also believe Hunt tried persuading the victim to lie in court. He is now facing more than a hundred counts of invasion of privacy and several counts of obstruction of justice.
Prosecutor Eaton said this case points to a growing problem.
“In the last couple years, we’ve began to see more things that are similar to this where people who may be incarcerated, even though they’re incarcerated, still may attempt to reach out to people that are victims of crime to continue to make their lives uncomfortable,” he said.
Eaton said he believes domestic abuse cases often involve a perpetrator who seeks control.
“When you have that kind of behavior from people, they really have a hard time hearing ‘no,’ even if that ‘no’ comes from a judge,” he said.
The Hancock County Prosecutor said this is the greatest number of charges his office has filed against a single person during his time as prosecutor. At the end of the day, Eaton said it all comes down to protecting victims of crime.
“We want to do what we can for victims to feel safe,” Eaton said. “And if somebody, even if they’re incarcerated, are going to do things that went afoul of what we believe the law to be, then we will do our best to hold them accountable.”
Local activists like Danyette Smith, the director of violence prevention for Indy Champions, said it is reassuring to see prosecutors take such a hard stance on abuse.
“With them actually, you know, taking this serious, it’s good,” she said. “That is something that we would like to see when it comes to our system and the abusers that are getting away with a slap on the wrist.”
Smith said breaking no-contact orders can sometimes become dangerous or even deadly.
“We see a lot of our previous cases where a homicide did take place and there was a protection order,” she said. “And in some cases, there were no-contact orders already in place and that violation was a homicide.”
This is why she has advice for victims of any type of abuse.
“Changing your phone number, changing your passwords, making sure that all of your electronic devices are changed so that way they cannot have access to those emails and where you are,” Smith suggested.
Advocates like Smith also encourage victims to hold onto any evidence if their abuser does break a protective order, that way they can help investigators build a case against the abuser.
Indy Champions said victims of abuse should also consider connecting with an advocate. The group said advocates can help you create a safety plan on an individual level.
You can connect with Indy Champions online or by contacting the organization’s 24-hour hotline at 317-210-0866.
