Bozell
A defendant currently serving a sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction pleaded guilty Monday to child molesting as a Level 1 felon.
David Richard Bozell, Jr., 38, made his appearance Monday before Judge James Worton from an Indiana Department of Correction facility via video conferencing.
Bozell is currently serving a two-and-a-half year sentence out of Dubois County for leaving the scene of an accident, possession of methamphetamine, driving while suspended with a prior conviction and possession of paraphernalia.
As part of the Bartholomew County plea bargain, the 38-year-old Bozell pleaded guilty to child molesting as a Level 1 felony. That charge alone has the potential to keep him behind bars from 20 to 50 years.
In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop three counts of child molesting as a Level 4 felony that involves the fondling or touching of a child under 14, as well as one count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors as a Level 6 felony.
This is the 11th felony case filed against Bozell since 2008, online court records state. Four of the cases involved the use of methamphetamine. Other felony charges include forgery, auto theft and identity deception.
The plea agreement states the term of imprisonment will not exceed the advisory sentence of 30 executed years. Terms also stipulate the court will not attempt to have Bozell declared as a habitual offender, the judge said.
But Worton told Bozell his criminal history may still have an impact on his sentence. Despite the limit on executed time, the judge could impose a longer sentence that includes time on probation or in a community correction program after the executed sentence is completed.
Had Bozell been found guilty of all original charges, he could have received up to 78 years in prison, as well as ordered to pay fines of up to $50,000. The defendant will have to be in the courtroom when he is sentenced at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
Appearing on the large screen inside the courtroom, Bozell kept his head lowered except to give short answers to questions posed by Worton. The defendant grimaced as deputy prosecutor Jordan Lorenzo outlined the factual basis of the crime. However, neither he nor his public defender, Greg Long, disagreed with the details presented by the prosecution.
On Aug. 31, 2023, officers were sent to a residence east of the Mead Village neighborhood to investigate a report of sexual misconduct with a minor. Upon their arrival, the mother of a 10-year-old girl told police her daughter had been touched sexually by Bozell, according to a probable cause affidavit.
When questioned, the girl said Bozell had molested her three days in a row leading up to the end of August last year, the court document states.
In addition to the molestations, the 10-year-old said Bozell showed her adult videos and adult toys on his cell phone, as well as nude pictures of himself, according to court documents.
The mother said Bozell, whom she described as a longtime friend, had been her house guest or about a month, the affidavit states. His earlier addresses included Vance Street and Westminster Place.
Since the mother and Bozell were not romantically involved, both the defendant and alleged victim had separate bedrooms in the basement, an investigator wrote.
Bozell and Long have been making recent efforts to have the case fast-tracked by the court. The defendant asked the judge to send him the pre-sentence investigation in prison as early as possible “so this case doesn’t keep getting continued,” he said.
