MONROE COUNTY — New court documents allege that an accused child molester attempted to reach two of his alleged victims from behind bars.
An affidavit for probable cause filed Friday details recorded phone calls in which 30-year-old Brayton Joseph Arthur instructed a third party to speak with two of his alleged victims on his behalf.
According to court filings, Arthur told the person on the line that he needed them to talk to the victims for him”. Arthur acknowledged during the call that he could not communicate with the victims due to court-issued no-contact orders. Arthur emphasized during the call that he would likely face life in prison if convicted of his pending charges, adding that he “could not do life in prison” and “could not beat the F1 charges”.
The jail call occurred on September 4 and was subsequently reviewed by investigators later that month. Because Indiana law prohibits contact with protected individuals through an intermediary, authorities determined Arthur violated his court order. On Friday, prosecutors formally charged Arthur with three counts of attempted invasion of privacy, a Class A misdemeanor.
Arthur was originally taken into custody by Indiana State Police on August 8 following a multi-week investigation that began in July. He faces eight felony counts of child molestation, Including two Level 1 felonies, after three victims came forward alleging he abused them hundreds of times over a multi-year period.
Arthur remains held at the Monroe County Jail. The court set his bond at $250,000 surety and $50,000 cash. While the bail review hearing previously set for September 10 was canceled, a rescheduled hearing is set for Wednesday.
A pretrial conference for Arthur’s initial child molestation case is scheduled for October 26.
