Indiana City Councilman Jeff Miller Arrested On Child Molestation Charge
An Indiana City Councilman was arrested Friday after being charged with child molestation. Jeff Miller faced three felony counts of child molestation, court records revealed. The charges against Miller were leveled after authorities conducted a search of his home last month.
Miller, 50, was accused of fondling two young girls inside his home, one of whom was 10-years-old, the Indianapolis Star reported. One of the girls told an investigator in October that she told her parents what happened “because they were watching the news about the famous guy that directs Broadway things and how he has been doing things like this,” according to WISH-TV. The girl said she felt guilty for not previously telling her parents about the alleged situation with Miller.
One of the girls told investigators Miller “did bad touch” to her inside his home when she was playing a computer game. Miller allegedly approached the girl and massaged her. She tried to “squirm away,” but he did not stop, WXIN reported. Miller was also accused of touching one of the girl’s buttocks and massaging her legs near her groin. One girl said the massages were “pretty normal for them to do.”
Miller subsequently resigned from his seat Friday afternoon. He had been asked to step down by Marion County Republican Chairman Jim Merritt and Republican Minority Leader Michael McQuillen in the wake of the allegations. Friends and family said Miller had done nothing wrong before the charges were filed against him, WTHR reported.
Miller himself allegedly told investigators he had not done anything wrong but did not comment on whether the girls were lying, according to WRTV. He said he did not believe either girl “would say something that they don’t believe.”
“Wow,” Miller reportedly said when told that the child perceived the massages as sexual. “You know, and I’m not, I’m not debating that. I’m not gonna…that’s, that’s how she felt. I’m, I’m fine with that. Not fine with the situation. I’m saying that’s how she felt. Period. I mean…yeah, nothing more to say other than that. Feel like an idiot. Desperately sorry and, um, that’s, that’s her right. And that can’t be taken away from her. That’s how she feels.”
An attorney for Miller, Jennifer Lukemeyer, declined to comment on the charges, according to the Indianapolis Star. Miller was taken to Marion County Jail Friday where his bond was set at $10,000, WISH-TV reported.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.