ANDERSON, Ind. — An Anderson man who previously served decades behind bars faces multiple new charges related to child sex crimes following an investigation over a year in the making.
According to online court records, 71-year-old George William Cunitz is charged with two counts of child molesting (one being a Level 1 Felony, the other a Level 4 Felony), child exploitation (Level 4 Felony), possession of child pornography with an aggravating factor (Level 5 Felony) and intimidation (Level 6 Felony).
All of this stems from a case that took place in June of 2023. According to the Anderson Police Department, officers attended a Kid’s Talk on June 6 of that year, in which they were told by a 10-year-old child that they were sexually assaulted by a neighbor when they were eight years old. This included intercourse, sexual touching and the filming/photography of sexually explicit content.
Officers then asked the child if they were told not to tell anyone. They affirmed this, stating “He said he would kill [me] if [I] did.”
The child described their assailant as a “tall, bald, old, white man.” Reportedly, they noted how he was in jail at the time, but not for his crimes against the child.
Online court records confirm that information as true. On May 19, 2021, Cunitz was charged with failure to return to lawful detention, a Level 6 Felony. Then, on May 13, 2022, he was sentenced to one year executed at the Indiana Department of Corrections.
These charges were due to Cunitz allegedly cutting off his GPS monitor. According to Indiana Department of Correction records, Cunitz was sentenced to 40 years in prison for armed robbery in 1998. At some point, however, Cunitz was released on GPS monitoring.
As police investigated the child molestation charges, Anderson police learned that the Frankfort Police Department once allegedly located an abandoned cell phone, which contained multiple images depicting an underage child’s genitalia. This phone was later tracked down to George Cunitz. Per APD, Frankfort PD tried to file charges on Cunitz, but those charges were denied due to the phone search being considered illegal.
With the new allegations, Anderson police applied for a search warrant for the phone which allegedly uncovered numerous nude photos of a young child. Pictures of Cunitz were also reportedly found on the phone. Cuntiz allegedly told police the child took the photos herself, but investigators claimed it would be “impossible” based on the angle of the photos.
The child molestation case against Cunitz was opened as a new filing on Sept. 7, 2023, online court records show. However, a warrant was not served until Friday, with Cunitz having his initial hearing on Monday. His next attorney conference is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 3.
If convicted, Cunitz could face up to 40 years behind bars.
