COLUMBUS – Bartholomew County deputies have arrested an 18-year-old Columbus man following a rape investigation. Nolan Riley is facing preliminary charges of rape, a Level 3 felony, criminal confinement, a Level 5 felony, and child exploitation, a Level 4 felony.
The charges stem from an investigation launched in May by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office concerning allegations of a sex offense involving a 17-year-old female.
Riley is currently being held at the Bartholomew County Jail on a $1 million bond. Online court records indicate he is scheduled for an initial hearing in Bartholomew Superior Court 1 on Tuesday.
According to court affidavits, sheriff department detectives met with the 17-year-old victim and her relatives in May. They received information alleging the victim had been raped by her boyfriend, identified as Riley, and that video evidence of the assault existed on the victim’s cell phone.
Detectives learned that the victim was pregnant at the time of the alleged sexual assault, with Riley identified as the father.
The probable cause affidavit details an incident on April 15, when Riley allegedly picked up the victim. After getting food from McDonald’s, they reportedly went to Mill Race Park, where Riley is accused of raping her, despite the victim explicitly stating she did not want to have sex. The victim also informed detectives that she has a high-risk pregnancy and had been advised by a medical professional to avoid sexual activity.
Following the alleged assault at the park, Riley reportedly took the victim to his grandmother’s home. There, he allegedly attempted to sexually assault her again, with the victim repeatedly stating her non-consent. During this incident, Riley reportedly took a video. The victim told detectives she accessed these videos of the incidents at Mill Race Park and the home from Riley’s phone and sent them to her device. Detectives were later able to access these videos as evidence.
As part of the investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant for Riley’s cell phone, which was subsequently seized. However, Riley’s parents reportedly refused to allow him to be interviewed by law enforcement.
Further investigation involved search warrants for the Facebook accounts of both Riley and the victim. Conversation threads between them were obtained, including a message from the victim stating, “I just wished you didn’t raped me,” to which Riley allegedly replied, “I do too.”
After examining both the victim’s and Riley’s cell phones, the Monroe County Regional High Tech Crime Unit discovered that Riley’s phone contained a “hidden file.” This file reportedly held a “large amount” of nude images and videos, including photos of the victim. The probable cause affidavit states that approximately 43 screenshots of sexual acts between Riley and the victim were found.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This article is based on the information provided in the Probable Cause Affidavit and does not represent a final determination of guilt or innocence.
