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Last updated on Sunday, July 14, 2013
(BLOOMINGTON) - A 28-year-old Bloomington man in serious trouble with the law in both Monroe and Greene counties is being allowed to wait on his trials at home on house arrest.
Steven Matthew Finch is accused of reckless homicide in the death of a motorcycle rider in Bloomington on Sept. 11, 2012 and is also accused of fondling himself in front of a minor in rural Bloomfield in early June.
Anna Fochelle, of the Greene County Daily World reports, when Finch was arrested by Greene County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey Brown on June 4, he was booked into the Greene County Jail on a preliminary charge of "vicarious sexual gratification," a class D felony with a standard bond of $4,000 surety or 10 percent cash. Finch posted $400 cash and was released from custody the same day.
Greene County Deputy Prosecutor Keven McIntosh then filed a criminal case against Finch in Greene Circuit Court and during an initial hearing on June 10, Finch was charged with performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor -- a class D felony.
Later in the month, Monroe County Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Kehr filed a petition in the homicide case to revoke his bond but instead of ordering Finch's return to custody, Monroe Circuit Judge Teresa Harper ordered that Finch be held on home detention.
In the Monroe County case, Finch has been charged with charged with causing death when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated -- a class B felony, causing death when operating a motor vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more -- also a class B felony, failure to stop after an accident resulting in a death -- a class C felony, and reckless homicide -- a class C felony.
Finch allegedly caused a crash at 8 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2012 on Moores Pike at Olcott Boulevard in Bloomington while he was driving a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire, traveling behind a motorcyclist.
Johnny Shane Harden, 37, of Bloomington, was operating a 2007 Suzuki GXS motorcycle. He died on the scene from head injuries suffered in the crash.
Finch told different stories after the crash, including that he was trying to use his phone at the time, looked up and with glare from the sun in his eyes, didn't see the motorcycle's lights until it was too late, tried to veer to avoid the collision but hit the motorcycle with the car.
But police said Harden had not stopped or slowed and Finch was driving faster than the motorcycle. They also allege that after the crash, Finch stopped and backed up the car, dragging the body, then when it was out from under the car, Finch left the scene.
Finch is accused of then stopping at an ATM machine to get cash, then to a store to buy chewing tobacco and to a car wash where he attempted to wash evidence away.
He did go to the sheriff's department a couple of hours after the crash and was arrested and charged with a couple of criminal counts. He was released from jail after posting a $1,000 bond. But in January when test results came back showing he was intoxicated at the time of the crash, more charges were added to the Monroe County case but his bond was not increased.
Court records show Finch has received numerous traffic citations and in 2008, he was convicted of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
In the Greene County case, Deputy Brown was dispatched to a rural Bloomfield residence on June 4 after a man reported Finch had wrecked his four-wheeler and had just tried to molest his daughter.
According to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Brown, the man said Finch was a friend who came from Bloomington to clear his head, ride four-wheelers and drink a few beers. But at some point during the visit, Finch told the man his daughter "wanted him" and the man said she was too young to think about boys. Later on, the daughter became very upset about something that happened and police were called.
Deputy Brown spoke with the girl and reported she told him Finch had pulled his private part out of his pants and made her look at it.
Deputy Brown arrested Finch on the spot. When he was booked into the Greene County Jail, he listed his home address as 3301 N. Smith Pike in Bloomington.
No trial date has been set in the Monroe County case but a pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 12.
In Greene County, the Omnibus date is Aug. 4 with a pretrial conference in early October and a jury trial currently scheduled in late October.
Finch has retained Defense Attorney Joseph Lozano of Shapiro & Lozano in Bloomington to represent him in the Monroe County case. As of Friday morning, court records do not show that an attorney has filed an appearance to represent him in the Greene County case.
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