Troy Lee Tindell, 50, turned himself in at the Greene County Sheriff’s Department around 10:30 a.m. today, Wednesday, September 12.

For more details on the Tindell case, the GreeneStreets story that was posted yesterday, Tuesday, September 1, is included below this udpate story.

Following an investigation that started back in June, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office filed a criminal case against Tindell in Greene Superior Court last Friday backed by probable cause information from lead investigator Det. Sgt. James O’Malley of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

The preliminary charges filed against Tindell include:

• Child molesting, a Level 1 felony,

• Child molesting, a Level 1 felony, and

• Child molesting involving fondling or touching with a child under the age of 14, a Level 4 felony.

Under Indiana law, felony counts are rated on a level system from Level 1 through Level 6 with Level 1 being the most serious crime. Tindell is facing two Level 1 felonies.

The charges were approved by Judge Dena Martin over the weekend, and the judge ordered an arrest warrant be issued on Monday.

Also on Monday, the arrest warrant was issued by the Greene County Clerk. The warrant was not served on Monday - Tindell was not taken into custody on Monday.

(Editor’s Notes: The Tindell story could have been posted on Monday, but it’s my policy to not post stories about warrants issued for alleged crimes this serious, or to include it in court news, until the suspect is in custody or I have a green light to post from the investigating officer or prosecutor. The reason is to not alert the suspect and to exercise caution regarding officer safety – serving arrest warrants can be extremely dangerous. I broke and posted the Tindell story on Tuesday only after I received a green light from the investigating officer. Then after it was posted on GreeneStreets, other news media reported he had been arrested. The warrant had been issued, but the suspect had not been arrested – I stood by my story.)    

Tindell has now been booked in to the Greene County Jail where his bond has been set at $95,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. The amount of his bond is another indication of the seriousness of the allegations. The bond for his Level 1 felony is $40,000 and he is facing two counts, plus $15,000 bond for the Level 4 felony. To be released on bond, he would need to post $9,500 cash.

Tindell will now appear in Greene Superior Court for an initial hearing – the exact time and date has not been set.

First story posted on Tuesday, September 11:

Fast response by GCSD and DCS results in child’s safety, and warrant for child molestation suspect

A child at-risk was quickly moved out of possible danger thanks to a very fast response by the Greene County Department of Child Services and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department after they received a tip about a child molestation. An investigation followed, and yesterday a warrant was issued for the suspect’s arrest.

Troy Lee Tindell, age 50, is accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with a child who is under the age of 10. Court records show Tindell with a home address on North State Road 13 in Pierceton, Ind., but he was living with a woman in Owensburg, Ind., at the time of the alleged incidents. Incidents involving child molestation allegedly took place at her home in Owensburg.

Det. Sgt. James O’Malley of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department has been investigating, along with Investigator Julie Criger of the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, Case Manager Karen Roach from the Greene County Department of Child Services, and possibly others.

The investigation, started in late June, has been ongoing and resulted in Greene County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Keven McIntosh filing a criminal case against Tindell last Friday. A warrant was issued for Tindell’s arrest on Monday, September 10.

The preliminary charges Tindell is facing include:

• Child molesting, a Level 1 felony,

• Child molesting, a Level 1 felony, and

• Child molesting involving fondling or touching with a child under the age of 14, a Level 4 felony.

Det. Sgt. O’Malley said the investigation started when an anonymous call was made to the Indiana Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline at 4:15 p.m. on Friday afternoon, June 29, reporting a possible incident of child molesting. From there, the information was immediately forwarded to the Greene County Department of Child Services.

In just a little over two hours from the anonymous call, at 6:27 p.m. that same day, Greene County DCS requested an officer go with a DCS case manager to make an assessment at a residence in Owensburg and GCSD Deputy Alan Jackson was dispatched.

Once they arrived, initial interviews were conducted with the Owensburg woman, with Tindell, and with the child. After these interviews, DCS Case Manager Roach determined the child might be at risk and should not stay there. The child, who was just visiting in the home and actually lives with a parent in another city in Indiana, was transported back to the parent’s home.

On Sunday, July 1, the child was taken to the Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center in Fort Wayne for a pediatric medical forensic examination which included an interview in which the child shared details of alleged sexual encounters with Tindell.

When O’Malley interviewed the Owensburg woman at the sheriff’s department on July 2, she said after Tindell brought the child to her house on Sunday, June 24, the child had slept in her room, but on Wednesday, June 27, the child slept with Tindell in his bedroom. She allegedly said the next morning, Thursday, June 28, the child asked to use her phone to call a parent, and the child went into another room to make the call, and she could hear the child crying. The next day is when DCS and the GCSD deputy showed up.

When O’Malley interviewed Tindell at the sheriff’s department, also on July 2, Tindell allegedly said after he “met” the Owensburg woman on the internet, they discovered they were both Pagans and practiced the religion of Paganism. He said he’d known her for a while but at that time, he’d been staying at her home for about three weeks.

O’Malley said Tindell told him he has worked as an over-the-road truck driver but at that time, he was currently working for a local trucking company in Bloomington.

Tindell said the child’s family considers him to be the child’s godfather, and that he has three godchildren. He allegedly said when he was an over-the-road truck driver, he would sometimes take the child with him and on overnights, he would sleep in the bottom bunk and the child would sleep in the top bunk.

O’Malley also reported that Tindell admitted that when the child stayed at the house in Owensburg, the child had slept with him in the same bed, but he denied any inappropriate contact.

The investigation continued and in late July, O’Malley asked Tindell if he would consent to a polygraph examination. Tindell refused.

After some time had passed, the child was interviewed again, in August, by O’Malley and Investigator Criger to verify if the victim maintained the same recollection of the incidents. O’Malley reported that the victim was very consistent in describing all of the details of the incidents.

Once Tindell is in custody, his bond will be set at $95,000 surety with ten percent cash allowed. It would take $9,500 cash for him to bond out of jail.