GREENWOOD, Ind. — A Gas City man reportedly told a child he’s accused of molesting that “age doesn’t matter, sex is natural.”
Austin Cohee, 28, is charged with two counts of child molestation as a Level 1 felony in addition to a Level 6 felony charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
If convicted, Cohee faces between 20 and 40 years in prison for his Level 1 felony — the most serious criminal charge in Indiana outside of murder.
According to court documents, Cohee allegedly molested his victim in the summer of 2021. In addition to molesting the underage juvenile on two separate occasions, Cohee is accused of teaching the child to crush up oxycodone and snort the pill powder.
The child told police that they thought they could trust Cohee, but ended up being molested by the older man. The child reported being in physical pain after the first molestation.
Cohee reportedly reassured the child afterward that his invasive act was “normal”, telling the victim that “a long time ago people who were 14 years old would get with people who were 30 years old and it was normal.”
The victim came forward with the allegations against Cohee in March of 2022. Charges were filed a few months later and a warrant for his arrest was issued in May 2022.
But Cohee wasn’t arrested on his child molestation charges until April 5, 2024.
Records show that this is because Cohee was serving time in a Hendricks County prison on a robbery charge. After his release, he was immediately booked into Johnson County Jail on his child molestation charges.
This isn’t the first time Cohee has served time in prison. Prior to allegedly molesting his underage victim, Cohee served a stint in prison for another armed robbery charge. He was released in spring 2021, not long before he allegedly molested the underage juvenile.
Cohee will appear in court for his initial hearing on April 17.
A booking photo was not provided for Austin Cohee.
