Registered sex offender arrested on child porn charge
GREENCASTLE -- A Greencastle man who was convicted of child molestation eight years ago has been arrested for possessing child pornography.
Lonnie L. Keeney, 53, of 181 S. C.R. 100E, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with Class D felony possession of child pornography.
Putnam County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Justin Long requested Keeney's bond be set at $20,000 cash, but Judge Matthew Headley ordered bond at $25,000 with 10 percent allowed. As of Tuesday afternoon, Keeney remained in the Putnam County Jail.
An information and probable cause affidavit was filed last Thursday in Putnam County Superior Court, and a bench warrant for Keeney was issued the following day.
An investigation into a possible case of child molestation by Keeney began on Oct. 8, court records said. A witness contacted police and said she believed Keeney may have sexually molested a young boy.
The witness told police the boy had told her Keeney "had touched and pinched his rear end." The child later relayed to the witness stories of other instances in which Keeney had touched him inappropriately, court records said.
When Keeney was interviewed by police, he said he "is into females, not males," court records said.
When asked if he would consent to a police search of his computer, Keeney told police he had "looked at nude pictures and child pictures," and that he was "attracted to children coming into pre-pubescent age," court documents said.
During the search, police located "hundreds of pornographic images," court records said. Many of the images appeared to be female children under the age of 16.
"Lonnie Keeney advised that he looks at the images for kind of a release," court records said.
Keeney told police he had been to therapy, but was still compelled to look at pornographic images.
Police seized the computer and took it to the Putnamville State Police Post to be searched further.
Keeney has hired Greencastle attorney Jeffrey Boggess.
Keeney was charged in May 2002 with one count of Class A felony child molesting and one count of Class C felony child molesting.
On Dec. 5, 2002, Keeney was convicted on the Class C count. Judge Matthew Headley sentenced Keeney to six years at the Indiana Department of Correction with one year executed and credit for 35 days.
According to information on the Indiana Department of Correction website, Keeney was released from prison on May 1, 2003. He is a registered offender on the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry.
In 2006, the court granted a request that allowed Keeney to have visitations with his grandson, provided the visits were supervised by Keeney's wife or daughter. He received permission in 2008 to have supervised visitations with another grandson.
Keeney completed his probation on May 29, 2008.
Long has filed a notice of intent to seek repeat sexual offender status for Keeney.