The court records show that a wife stole her husband’s phone to look for proof when she thought he was cheating on her.
It’s said that what she found on the phone was much worse than cheating. Paul M. Soots, 42, is charged with 22 counts of child abuse, including several Level 1 felonies. In Indiana, this is the most serious crime charge other than murder.
Court records show that on March 22, 2023, officers from the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Office were called to Soots’ Camby home. When the deputies got there, Soots’ wife confronted them and told them about her shocking finding.
His wife, who is now divorced from Soots, told cops she thought he was cheating on her, so she looked through his phone for proof. But, according to court papers, there were even worse videos on the phone.
Deputies said they looked through the phone’s contents and found pictures and videos of Soots having sex with a child.
It is said that deputies woke up Soots, who was sleeping on the couch. He told the cops that the phone was his, and they arrested him.
The hearing for Soot was set for June 24. Soot agreed to a plea deal in which he would admit guilt to one count of child molestation as a Level 1 crime and one count of child molestation as a Level 5 felony. This meant that the trial would not happen.
A 50-year jail sentence is part of the plea deal. On Wednesday, there will be a meeting where the plea deal will be given to the court. The judge has until August 3 to decide whether to accept the plea deal or turn it down and set a new date for the trial with a jury.