Indiana man held in second daycare sex assault

Douglas Walker | The Star Press

NEW CASTLE – For the second time this year, a New Castle man stands charged with sexually abusing a child at a daycare facility operated by the defendant's mother.

Aaron Douglas New, 35, was arrested Sunday, and was being held without bond in the Henry County jail. The most recent child molesting charge against him, a Class C felony carrying a standard four-year prison term, was filed Tuesday in Henry Circuit Court 1.

The new charge is based on an an assault alleged to have taken place on Dec. 1, 2013.

The earlier charge against New, filed in March, is a Class A felony carrying a standard 30-year sentence.

In that case, he is alleged to have sexually abused a 3-year-old boy at New's mother's daycare facility, in the 2200 block of Legion Drive. Court documents said that alleged victim was enrolled at the daycare between January 2012 and April 2013.

The boy described the assault, which he said had taken place in New's bedroom, to New Castle police last January.

According to a police report, New at first denied that child's allegations, but later acknowledged he had sexually assaulted the boy in a bathroom at the Legion Drive address.

Details of the incidents that led to the more recent charge were not available.

New's trial on the first charge is set for Jan. 25, also in Henry Circuit Court 1. A pre-trial hearing in that case is scheduled Monday.

Henry County Prosecutor Joe Bergacs last week confirmed the more recent charge involves a different alleged victim.

The prosecutor said he was uncertain whether the two cases might be merged, or whether the developments in recent days could lead to a postponement of the Jan. 25 trial.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.