A Crawfordsville man convicted of multiple counts of child molestation and one count of rape was sentenced Monday to 40 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with five years suspended to probation.
Robert J. Fresses Jr., 20, was sentenced in Montgomery Circuit Court by Judge Darren Chadd after pleading guilty under a plea agreement.
Fresses was convicted of three counts of child molesting and one count of rape, all Level 3 felonies. He received 10 years on each count, with the sentences ordered to be served consecutively. On the rape conviction, five years will be served in prison and five years suspended to probation.
Fresses was arrested in August 2025 and initially faced more than 20 felony charges, including 15 counts of child molestation, one count of rape, two counts of child exploitation and two counts of performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor. The remaining charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed at the time of his arrest, the investigation began after the victim’s grandfather reported the alleged abuse to authorities. A family friend had discovered explicit photos of the child on Fresses’ phone during a trip earlier that month.
Investigators later obtained search warrants for two of Fresses’ cell phones and reported finding multiple explicit images of the victim, along with additional images of young girls. Court documents state Fresses admitted to downloading some of the images from social media and the internet.
The victim was 3 years old at the time of the first reported offense in August 2024. Fresses told investigators he had lived with the child, her mother and grandparents for several months and frequently babysat her. During an interview with law enforcement, he allegedly admitted to molesting the child more than 100 times.
Court records indicate Fresses had no prior criminal history before his arrest.
As part of his sentence, Fresses must register as a sex offender for life and comply with all registry requirements. A no-contact order with the victim remains in effect, and he will be required to serve five years on probation following his release.
