BLOOMINGTON — A 30-year-old Bloomington man is facing eight felony counts of child molestation after law enforcement uncovered allegations that he sexually assaulted three young girls hundreds of times over a span of several years.
According to court documents filed in Monroe County, Brayton Arthur has been formally charged with:
- Two counts of child molestation (Level 1 felonies)
- One count of child molestation (Level 4 felony)
- Five counts of child molestation (Class B felonies), deriving from acts that occurred under prior state penal codes around 2010–2012
The Indiana State Police opened an investigation on July 21, 2026, after receiving reports initially made to the Indiana Department of Child Services.
During interviews with detectives, a 12-year-old girl (identified as Victim 1) reported that Arthur had molested her approximately seven years earlier, when she was around 5 years old, and he was roughly 22. The victim stated that Arthur was babysitting her when the assault occurred, telling her to “be quiet” when she began to cry. She noted that while she was frozen and confused at the time, she realized by age 9 that what had occurred was wrong.
As investigators pursued the case, a second woman (Victim 2) detailed extensive, repeated abuse. She told police that Arthur molested her from the time she was in kindergarten until she reached the seventh grade (ages 5 to 12). She estimated the abuse happened two to five times per week, totaling more than 100 separate incidents.
State Police detectives noted that following these interviews, Arthur allegedly attempted to reach out to both victims via Facebook Messenger on July 22 and 23 to ask if they had been contacted by law enforcement.
A third woman (Victim 3) subsequently came forward to investigators. She stated that Arthur sexually assaulted her between 2010 and 2012 when she was between 9 and 13 years old, estimating the abuse occurred nearly 300 times.
Following his arrest, Arthur was remanded to the Monroe County Correctional Center. He made his initial court appearance on Monday, August 31, in Monroe Circuit Court 2, where he pleaded not guilty and a public defender was appointed to represent him. His next court appearance is scheduled for a bail review hearing on September 10 at 9:00 a.m. Arthur is currently held on a bond of $250,000 surety and $500 cash.
