SALEM – A Salem man was sentenced to 20 years in prison on a felony count of child molestation.
Washington County Circut Court Judge sentenced 39-year-old Kurtis Walter after he pleaded guilty to the crime in a negotiated plea deal.
Walter will serve no less than 85 percent of the sentence at the Indiana Department of Corrections according to the terms of the plea agreement.
Both the victim and a family member of the victim wrote letters to the Judge that were read during the hearing.
Walter during the sentencing apologized to the victim and family members.
Walter was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and will be listed as a violent felon who can never own a firearm.
Indiana State Police Detective arrested Walter after a month-long investigation that began on December 8, 2022, when the allegations were first reported to the Salem Police Department. After the initial report, the case was referred to detectives from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post.
During the investigation by Detective Nate Adams, it was determined that over the course of approximately four years, Walter allegedly touched a child under the age of 14 inappropriately on multiple occasions in Washington County.Â
At the conclusion of the investigation, the case was presented to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office for review. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued and Walters was arrested on one Level 1 count of child molesting and seven counts of Level 4 felony charges of child molesting.
