Lovell
A Bartholomew County man has pleaded guilty to physically assaulting and raping a mentally disabled adult woman in two separate criminal cases.
Christopher Scott Lovell pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of rape and one felony count of domestic battery with bodily injury. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22 at 9 a.m. in Bartholomew Circuit Court.
Lovell was arrested in September 2023 along with Brandon Jacobs, Christina Moffatt and Jon Arnold on charges of promoting human sexual trafficking and raping a mentally disabled adult, according to court records.
Local authorities were alerted to the case by Columbus Regional Hospital staff after the mentally disabled adult had given birth to a child, and they determined through a neuropsychological evaluation that the woman does not have the cognitive ability to consent to a sexual relationship.
Moffatt, Jacobs and Lovell allegedly engaged in sexual acts with the victim on multiple occasions since last year and repeatedly took her to a residence in Salem to engage in sexual acts with Arnold in exchange for money, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Lovell was also charged with domestic battery against the pregnant mentally disabled woman in April 2023.
Moffatt pleaded guilty to one felony count of promoting prostitution and was sentenced to five years in prison in October 2024. She is currently serving her sentence at Madison Correctional Facility with an earliest possible release date of May 1, 2027, according to DOC.
Jacobs pleaded guilty to one felony count of rape and was sentenced Monday to 16 years in prison, including 13 years with the Indiana Department of Correction and three years of probation, officials said.
Two criminal cases against Arnold in Bartholomew and Washington counties are still pending, according to court records.
