BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (IUSTV News) — A Bloomington man was arrested and charged for allegedly molesting his granddaughter in 2020.
Timothy Harrison, 58, is charged with child molesting when the suspect is over 21 years old, a level 1 felony, and child molesting when the victim is younger than 14 years old, a level 4 felony.
According to court documents, the investigation began in September 2023, when detectives with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office received a report from the Monroe County Department of Child Services. A 10-year-old girl reported that her grandfather had repeatedly touched her inappropriately roughly three years earlier.
The young girl reported the alleged incidents after attending a body safety program at her school.
In an interview with police, the victim told police that Harrison repeatedly touched her, typically around bedtime, and even told her "Don't tell anyone, especially granny." The assaults allegedly happened when the victim was living with Harrison when her parents were unable to do so.
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Court documents say the young girl described her grandpa as "scary," and asked detectives "Will grammy be okay?"
Police later interviewed Harrison about the allegations, which court documents say he denied. However, during a voluntary polygraph test, Harrison allegedly failed.
According to online court records, Harrison had his initial court hearing on March 7, where he entered a plea of not guilty. He has since posted bond and is out on pretrial release conditions, including a no-contact order. He is due back in court on May 13.
Under Indiana Sentencing Guidelines, the sentencing range for a level 1 felony specifically child molesting is 20 to 50 years, with a suggested sentence of 30 years, and the sentencing range for a level 4 felony is two to 12 years, with a suggested sentence of 6 years.
