In a case first reported to the LPD then investigated by GCSD Det. Sgt. James O’Malley, a man, who babysits children and is suspected of inappropriate contact with a three-year-old child at the suspect’s apartment in Switz City, allegedly admitted to the allegations after a polygraph exam.  

Tyson Cole Graves, 22, is facing two felony counts involving child molestation and vicarious sexual gratification in front of a child.

Court records showed Graves with a home address in Lyons, but jail records show his current address is in Switz City.

A month ago, on June 17, a father first contacted the Linton Police Department to report an incident of inappropriate physical contact involving his three-year-old child. The incident allegedly involved Graves having the child apply lotion to a part of Graves’s body.

Linton Police Officer Debbie McDonald interviewed the child at the Linton Police Department. It was then determined that the alleged incident took place outside of Linton and the investigation was referred to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

GCSD Det. Sgt. O’Malley then conducted an interview in the Linton area with the child’s mother. She said this was not the first time the child’s father had made an accusation against Graves. She said Graves babysits for the child as well as another child she has with Graves.  

When O’Malley talked to Graves at his apartment in Switz City, Graves said he was not employed full-time but babysits, mows yards and performs odd jobs for income. He said he babysits for the three-year-old child, for his own biological child and sometimes for the neighbor’s children.

O’Malley said that during the interview, Graves said he has never exposed himself to any of the children.

The child was later interviewed at Susie’s Place in Bloomington with a caseworker for Susie’s Place, a case manager from the Greene County Department of Child Services and the child’s mother and father present.

O’Malley reported the child was able to describe and accurately name body parts on an anatomical drawing and was able to explain what she saw and what happened during the alleged incident involving Graves.

Graves agreed to take a polygraph examination which was conducted on Tuesday, July 17, by Indiana State Police Trooper Dan Gress at the ISP Post in Jasper. Test results concluded that Graves was not truthful when answering questions about whether he had ever exposed himself to the child or if any inappropriate physical contact had taken place.

During the subsequent interview with Gress and O’Malley, Graves allegedly then admitted to and described an incident that had taken place between him and the child at his apartment. At the conclusion of this interview, he was arrested.

Around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Graves was booked in by Det. Sgt. O’Malley to the Greene County Jail where his bond was initially set at $19,000 surety with ten percent allowed.

Greene County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Keven McIntosh filed a criminal case against Graves early Thursday, July 19.

As of mid-afternoon Thursday, an exact time and date had not been set, but when Graves appears in Greene Superior Court for his initial hearing, he will be formally charged with:

• Child molesting involving fondling or touching with a child under the age of 14, a Level 4 felony, and
• Performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor, a Level 6 felony.