A downtown Greenwood ice cream shop has been dishing up soft serve and fond memories since 1962.

Sport teams swing by after games. Young couples go there on dates. Kids get cones with their parents and grandparents. They grow up and come back with kids of their own.

So when the owner of Mrs. Curl Ice Cream Shop and Outdoor Cafe was arrested on possession of child pornography charges in April, residents here felt shocked, hurt, betrayed.

John Cassin bought Mrs. Curl in 1997 and was owner or part-owner until recently.

"This is personal to everybody in some way," said Patrick Sawin, a Greenwood dad who lives about a mile away. "It's a terrible thing that has taken place."

Stepping aside

John's son Sean and Ashley Miller, Sean's girlfriend of four years, have taken over the shop and say they are trying to rebuild trust.

In an exclusive interview with IndyStar, the couple said that John Cassin is now fully separated from the business.

"No one at Mrs. Curl supports any kind of action that is illegal, certainly not anything involving children," Miller said.

"Mrs. Curl is such a great thing, it would be a shame for Greenwood to lose this kind of atmosphere because of one person's actions."

Some have drawn a connection between the allegations and the fact so many young people have been employed at Mrs. Curl over the years.

The shop has provided summer jobs for area high school students for decades. Poster boards propped in the shop windows show sun-faded photos of the smiling young faces of past workers.

Danielle Rae Reynolds worked there from 2002-09, starting when she was in high school. She said she never witnessed objectionable behavior from the former owner.

"People would ask us if he was creepy because obviously we were all young girls working for him, but we defended him time and time again," Reynolds said.

"Even when we were looking for it, we never saw an inappropriate move."

Reynolds stressed that she was not defending the actions that led to Cassin's arrest, but said she hopes people in the community support the shop she called "an icon in the city."

"His actions shouldn't deter anyone from taking their kids to get ice cream," Reynolds said. "His family was completely unaware of his actions. The name of the business shouldn't be tarnished."

The allegations have opened a wound in Greenwood, a community that has long taken pride in supporting local businesses.

Greenwood High School's valedictorian Cooper Kelly referred to the scandal in his graduation speech.

"You should never take advantage of people's kindness, especially if you are the owner of a local ice cream shop that employs young women," Kelly said, drawing a chorus of "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience.

Mrs. Curl holds a special place in this community, Kelly, 18, said. "It's one of those places you come to Greenwood for."

Child pornography charges

Prosecutors say Cassin, 75, admitted he viewed sexually explicit images of prepubescent girls on a computer seized from his Whiteland home.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Greenwood police began investigating Cassin in October 2018 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Detectives seized a computer from his Whiteland home in March. As they served the search warrant, Cassin told the investigators they would "probably find child pornography activity."

Cassin told officers that he had not engaged in sexual activity with a juvenile and that "he wanted to stop," according to the affidavit.

Investigators also found evidence that Cassin used internet search terms related to child pornography and photos. A temporary file on Cassin's computer, according to the affidavit, contained sexually explicit images of the same girl taken when she was purportedly ages 6, 7 and 8.

Cassin was charged with two Level 5 felonies for possession of child pornography. If convicted, a Level 5 felony carries a sentence of one to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Cassin is scheduled to appear in Johnson Circuit Court for a hearing on July 25. A jury trial is scheduled for August 27.

'I can't take it back'

The arrest has fueled a flurry of comments on social media. It started on Mrs. Curl's own Facebook page, when managers posted an apology shortly after Cassin's arrest made headlines.

"We sincerely apologize and acknowledge everyone’s concerns," the statement read. "Effective immediately, Mr. Cassin will be stepping aside from his role at Mrs. Curl.”

The next day, the page was shut down. The statement and the comments disappeared with the page.

Later, Miller posted a reaction on her personal Facebook page.

It read, in part: "I love John Cassin and I WILL NEVER stop supporting him. If you can't handle that, you are free to be done being my friend."

She added: "Everyone is entitled to their own feelings and thoughts, but I refuse to read or hear anything negative said about him... If you aren’t in my corner then you have no business looking on my Facebook page or even speaking to me. I am sick and tired of people who want to salivate over something bad happening to someone."

Miller deleted the remarks soon after she posted them, but others have shared screenshots to other pages. Miller said she now regrets those comments.

"I was shocked and emotional and should not have made a personal, emotional reaction," Miller said. "I can't take it back. I was upset at the situation and just wanted to say that I support John as my family."

One of the reasons she made those Facebook comments, Miller said, is that John Cassin has not been well.

John Cassin has suffered a series of strokes and hasn't been well enough to run the ice cream shop for about three years, Sean Cassin and Miller said.

The succession was already happening, the couple said, but they erased his name from the legal documents and business records after the arrest.

John is officially a former owner. He no longer receives any proceeds from the business, Miller and Sean Cassin said.

Rebuilding trust

Sean Cassin said he doesn't use social media, but even he has felt some of the backlash.

Business at the shop has been slow, he said, noting the rainy weather may be as much to blame as the recent publicity.

But he's scared. This business means more than ice cream to him, the employees and to many who visit year after year.

Sean said he hopes the more forgiving folks in Greenwood will soon understand that others should not be punished for crimes his father is accused of committing.

"I don't want people to associate me with this event," Sean Cassin said. "He is my father, though he did something that is not good. Period.

"I'm torn on how to say things."

Mrs. Curl still offers great soft serve in the heart of downtown Greenwood, he said. The building still has its old-fashioned charm. The patio is still a great place to enjoy a cone and cool off on a hot day.

The people who work there are offering the same service. They want the customers to return.

Sean Cassin said he hopes speaking to IndyStar can help rebuild some of the trust his father has broken. He said he's fighting to save this ice cream shop and everything it means to parents, kids and courting couples.

"We definitely want to preserve their memories," Sean Cassin said. "We don't want it to be tainted."

But for some, the damage is done.

South-side resident Jason Cottengim said he regularly visited Mrs. Curl with his daughters. He has been back once since the owner's arrest, for a lemon-lime slushy.

That, he said, will be his last visit.

"He may not be at the ice cream shop anymore but his crime and presence still is," Cottengim said.

"I can’t get his arrest and crimes out of my mind."

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at 317-444-2701. Follow him on Twitter: @VicRyc.