NEW CASTLE, Ind. — A 19-year-old New Castle resident was arrested on Thursday on multiple counts of child molesting and other sexual-related crimes with minors following what the New Castle Police Department called a “lengthy criminal investigation.”
According to court documents filed on Thursday in the Henry County Circuit Court, 19-year-old Tristen Ruetz was arrested on the following charges:
- One count of child molesting, a Level 3 felony;
- Two counts of child molesting, a Level 4 felony;
- One count of child solicitation, a Level 5 felony;
- Eight counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 5 felony;
- One count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 6 felony;
- One count of child exploitation, a Level 5 felony;
- One count of possession of child pornography, a Level 6 felony;
- One count of dissemination of matter harmful to minors, a Level 6 felony.
According to a police report that accompanied the court documents, officials said that there were four juveniles who reported having sexual relations with Ruetz, including a 12-year-old, a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old. In the cases, Ruetz spoke with them through social media platforms and lied about his age.
In multiple cases, Ruetz pressured the juveniles to have sex, even though he allegedly knew they were juveniles. The documents also state that Ruetz had photos and videos of some of the juveniles that showed oral sex and sexual intercourse.
