Travis Conley
A 15-year prison term has been handed down in Bartholomew Circuit Court for a Cass County man accused of sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl multiple times.
Travis D. Conley, 27, of Galveston was originally charged with child molesting as a Level 1 felony. But on Dec. 21, the defendant accepted a plea agreement that allowed him to plead guilty to child seduction as a Level 2 felony. In exchange, the molesting charge was dismissed.
The sentence handed down to Conley was less than the advisory sentence for a Level 2 felony, which is the term given when mitigating and aggravating factors appear to be balanced. Under Indiana statute, Conley could have received up to 30 years if the judge decided that aggravating circumstances warranted the maximum term.
In August 2021, a Crawford County deputy informed the Indiana Department of Child Services that a 7-year-old girl claimed an adult male had forced her to commit sexual acts while she was living with her guardian in Columbus. At the time of the alleged crimes, Conley had also been staying in the guardian’s home, according to a probable cause affidavit
After claiming that she was first touched inappropriately during an interview, the victim said Conley performed more deviant acts after ordering her to go into the bathroom, the affidavit states. The guardian and the little girl lived in Columbus no more than five months before moving out of county, court documents state.
Investigators wrote Conley initially denied having any sexual contact with the girl. But during further questioning, Conley changed his story to claim that the 7-year-old tried to force herself on him, the affidavit states.
A number of other inconsistencies were found in Conley’s version of events, detectives said in court documents.
Conley had also been charged in April, 2022 for failing to register as a sex or violent offender in Cass County. He is required to register where he resides until 2030 after being found guilty of child solicitation in January 2020 in Switzerland County.
Judge Kelly Benjamin said she will recommend that Conley be placed in a facility that will provide services for mental health and counseling for psychosexual issues.
