A 65-year-old guy from West Terre Haute is being held by police after his wife told them he touched a very young child during the total solar eclipse.
Records in the case against Robert A. Elkins, who lives on Concannon Avenue in West Terre Haute, say that. Elkins is being charged with one crime count of molesting a child. Records from the Vigo County Jail show that Elkins is being held on a $100,000 bond with no 10% allowed.
What led police to start looking into Elkins is shown in a probable cause affidavit that was made in the case.
Police said that the victim’s mother called them on April 11 after Elkin’s wife told them that he had told her that he had touched the victim, who was named PERSON 1 in court papers.
Once she was done, the woman told Elkins that he needed to call the police. He allegedly agreed to do so. But after a few hours, the jail and cops told the woman that Elkins had not shown up. Later, the woman found out that Elkins had been in an accident and had been flown to Indianapolis to get medical care.
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Police said the mother of the victim found home security video that showed Elkins with the victim on the front lawn on the day of the eclipse. The mother said that in the video, Elkins could be seen touching himself while putting his hands in the baby’s diaper.
Following the event, Elkins’ wife told cops that her husband had been “acting panicky, on edge, jumpy, and irritable,” as reported by local news outlet MyWasbash News.
The jail records show that Elkins was booked on May 29. Elkin was given a public attorney to help him with his case at a hearing in Vigo County Superior Court 1 on Monday.
The hearing with a jury is set for September 16 at 1 p.m.
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