A local man accused of offering individuals an opportunity to perform sex acts with young girls will remain in jail after a judge denied his bail reduction request.
Four felony charges were filed Aug. 28 against Nicholas Duane Hickman, 39, of 1641 Azealea Drive, who was initially ordered held without bond after his Aug. 23 arrest. His bond was later set at $500,000 surety or $50,000 cash.
Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin ordered Hickman’s bond stay at its current level, due to the seriousness of the charges filed against him, following a 20-minute bond reduction hearing on Monday.
Lowering the bond and allowing Hickman to go free “could potentially harm the community,” Benjamin said.
The formal charges are:
Level 4 felony child exploitation, accused of intentionally disseminating or exhibiting material depicting sexual conduct by a child under the age of 18, with the matter depicting or describing a child who is younger than age 12.
Level 6 felony sexual battery, accused of touching a victim when the victim was unaware the touching was occurring.
Level 6 felony strangulation, accused of intentionally applying pressure to the throat or neck of a victim that impeded normal breathing or blood circulation.
Level 6 felony domestic battery, accused of touching a victim in a rude, insolent or angry manner and committing the act in the presence of a child younger than age 16.
In addition, Hickman is charged with a Class A misdemeanor of distribution of an intimate image, accused of distributing an intimate image knowing that the victim did not consent to the distribution of said image.
If convicted on all charges, the defendant could be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison, as well as face fines of up to $45,000.
While on the stand Monday and being questioning by public defender Don Edwards, Hickman said his criminal record was limited to missing a court hearing regarding a drug possession charge in Kansas City, Missouri.
But deputy prosecutor Kathleen Burns said Hickman had failed to acknowledge two charges in Danville, Illinois, possession of narcotics in 2009 and theft of a controlled substance in 2010.
There was also a 2007 charge of check deception in Overland Park, Kansas, as well as a number of less serious offenses in a variety of different communities, Burns said.
While none of the previous charges or convictions constitute a significant major crime, Benjamin said they are collectively a concern to the court.
Although Hickman expressed confidence he could get a job to help pay for his defense, as well as secure a place to live, Burns told the court the defendant was unemployed at the time of his arrest, and is currently unable to provide any proof of either potential employment or residency.
Hickman is accused of using the Grindr dating cellphone application to offer individuals an opportunity to perform sex acts with young girls, sending photos in an effort to corroborate his claims, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Besides photos and sexually-explicit messages, Hickman’s cellphone also had a photo of a girl appearing to be between 2 and 4 years old, along with an invitation to engage in sexual activity with that child, the affidavit states.
In addition, Hickman is accused of battering an adult female in Bloomington when she refused to give him a credit or debit card to go buy something, court records state.
Hickman’s next tentative court date is a 9:15 a.m. Jan. 27 change of plea hearing in Bartholomew Circuit Court. A jury trial is currently scheduled for 8:30 a.m. March 3.
