INDIANAPOLIS — Levi A. Walters, 29, Westport, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced.
The investigation into Walters’ conduct began when the child victim’s mother called police to report that she found videos on Walters’ phone, showing Walters engaged in sexual conduct with her child, who was younger than 10 years old. Deputies from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department responded to the victim’s residence and were met with a very volatile situation, Minkler said.
Walters, who also has a reference to a Scipio address, had obtained two firearms and threatened to commit suicide after the child’s mother found evidence of the abuse and began calling police. The deputies were able to place Walters in custody, ensuring the immediate safety of the victim and her mother.
“To uncover evidence that a man you trusted, entered your child’s bedroom, and preyed upon her innocence while she tried to sleep is every parent’s worst nightmare,” said Minkler. “Bringing that perpetrator to justice is an essential part of restoring that child’s belief that there are still good adults who will protect her.”
The Indiana State Police Cyber Crime Unit were requested to conduct an examination of Walters’ cell phone. The examination revealed numerous videos and images depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, and the Indiana State Police.
“This type of behavior will not be condoned in Bartholomew County,” said Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Maj. Chris Lane. “Our focus is always on the victim in these types of cases; we want to always be sure they get the justice and the compassion they deserve.”
According to Assistant United States Attorney Kristina Korobov, who prosecuted this case for the government, said Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson also sentenced Walters to an additional 15 years of supervised release following his federal prison sentence, and ordered him to pay over $10,000 in restitution to the minor victim.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
