BOONE COUNTY, Ind. — A Lebanon man has been charged after he reportedly molested a child numerous times over the course of years and required the child to take naked photos and videos of herself when he was at work.
According to court documents filed earlier this month in Boone County, 37-year-old Timothy Shelley was charged with:
- Two counts of child molesting where the defendant is at least 21 years of age, a Level 1 felony
- One count of child molesting, fondling or touching with a child under 14, a Level 4 felony
- Two counts of sexual misconduct (one a level 4 felony and another a level 5 felony)
- 12 counts of possession of child pornography, a Level 6 felony
In an interview in January 2023, the child told police that Shelley touched her inappropriately and assaulted her multiple times when she was between the ages of 4 and 14.
The child also told police that Shelley would reportedly have her take photos of herself without her clothing using his cell phone. The child told police that Shelley “used the photos to keep her from telling anyone about what he had done.”
Based on this initial information, Lebanon police interviewed Shelley on Jan. 6, 2023. When he reportedly came to the department, he had a cell phone that matched the description that the child provided. The interview was concluded, however, after Shelley told police he would like to speak with an attorney.
When officers searched Shelley’s phone at the time, they reportedly found multiple pictures and videos of the child completely nude.
In May 2024, the child returned to Lebanon for an additional interview as part of the investigation. During the most recent interview, the child provided details about multiple incidents where Shelley reportedly touched her inappropriately and three times where Shelley reportedly assaulted her.
The child told police that when Shelley would go to work, he would reportedly tell the child that he “better have a picture when he came back home.” The child said the photos stopped after she told Shelley she was going to talk with her mother about what was happening. Shelley told the child that he was sending the photos to other people online.
An extraction of the phone showed a number of photos and videos of the child in a “hidden” application. Even though Shelley had reportedly said that the files had been deleted, the documents said there was “no indication these (files) have been deleted” since the phone was first taken from him in 2023.
According to court documents, a pretrial conference is scheduled for July 26 and a jury trial is scheduled for Aug. 26.
