Tippecanoe County Sex Crime Attorney
Sex crime allegations can affect your life immediately. Before you even go to court, you could lose your job, strain important relationships, and be thrown out of school. A Tippecanoe County sex crime lawyer can explain the allegations, your legal options, and how the accusations may impact you now and in the future.
Police departments in Lafayette, West Lafayette, Battle Ground, Dayton, and other Tippecanoe County communities will often aggressively investigate these allegations. Investigators may also spend months building a case before any charges are filed.
About The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley, P.C.
The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley, P.C., is a law firm based in Indiana that focuses exclusively on criminal defense. We take care of serious criminal allegations all over Indiana. When handling felony cases and sex crime allegations, we devote substantial time and resources to complex cases involving lots of evidence, serious allegations, and high stakes.
Serious felony cases require a team approach. At a minimum, two attorneys and a paralegal are often assigned to major cases. Having more than one attorney allows the firm to hold strategy meetings, thoroughly review evidence, and keep you informed every step of the way. Our attorneys also have access to evidence technicians who can help manage large discovery files involving DNA, text messages, phone calls, video surveillance, and computer forensics.
Collectively, the attorneys at The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley, P.C., have tried over 100 felony cases in Indiana courts. One of our attorneys is a former prosecutor who worked on felony prosecutions and homicide cases. Our experiences prosecuting cases allow us to understand how prosecutors work and what they may try to do at trial.
Only six Indiana lawyers are certified as Board-Certified Criminal Trial Specialists by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Five of the six practice at The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley, P.C.
Just as you would seek a specialist if you were facing a serious medical condition, many people choose to hire an attorney who has undergone the extensive process of becoming Board Certified in Criminal Trial Law and has made focusing on criminal law their livelihood.
Types of Sex Crimes in Indiana
Indiana sex crime allegations come in many forms and can range from misdemeanor accusations to serious felony offenses with steep sex crime penalties. The facts of these cases can vary drastically. Investigations can include digital forensics, forensic interviews, evidence searches, and email or message tracing.
Sometimes the allegations involve disputes about the events that occurred between two people. Other cases may involve months of investigation by law enforcement before any accusations are made. Some common sex crime allegations include:
- Rape: Rape cases can involve disputes about consent, intoxication, witness statements, or other factors.
- Sexual battery: Sexual battery cases typically involve some type of unwanted sexual touching.
- Child solicitation allegations: Prosecutors may file solicitation charges if they believe the accused attempted to meet with or talk to a minor online.
- Possession of prohibited materials: These cases commonly include forensic searches of computers, phones, cloud storage, and digital devices.
- Internet crimes or computer-based offenses: Some cases include allegations based on online messaging, social media use, dating apps, or other electronic communications.
- Child molestation: Child molestation felony charges are highly sensitive and usually involve thorough investigations and forensic interviews.
According to the United States Sentencing Commission, the average sentence for those convicted of sexual abuse was 221 months. There were a total of 1,430 sexual abuse cases reported to the commission in 2024, and 93.5% of those accused were men.
Hire a Sex Crime Lawyer
If you have been accused of a sex crime, you may feel confused and afraid about what may happen to you. Deciding to hire a sex crime lawyer can allow you to understand sex crime laws and allegations against you, assess the prosecution’s case, and navigate the legal process at a time when life may feel unmanageable.
Communication with clients and families is another priority. With our attorneys on a 24/7 lawyer-on-call rotation, clients have access to legal help when urgent matters arise. Instead of speeding through consultations or being bogged down by excessive caseloads, we dedicate the time and resources necessary to serious felony cases and high-stakes criminal charges.
FAQs
What Are the Sex Laws in Indiana?
Indiana sex crime laws can be found in numerous articles of the Indiana Code Title 35. These laws address sexual intercourse, consent, solicitation, exploitation, and sex offender registration. Sentencing ranges and other laws can be found here as well. Misdemeanors and felonies are listed. Indiana also requires the reporting of certain crimes.
What Qualifies as a Sex Crime?
Sex crime typically means any criminal offense that includes an allegation of illegal sexual conduct, sexual exploitation, or sexualized behavior. This can encompass allegations ranging from rape, sexual battery, solicitation of a child, possession of illegal images, voyeurism, and online offending.
Some of these charges involve hands-on offenses, while others involve acts committed primarily through electronic communications. Charges can vary depending on the facts of the case.
What Is the Lowest Level of Sex Offender?
Indiana has varying classifications and registration requirements based on the underlying offense and facts of the case. Some convictions require less time registering and fewer restrictions than the higher-level felony allegations.
However, lower-level registration can still carry significant housing, job, travel, and reputation consequences. Classification is typically based on the conviction offense, previous criminal history, and the existence of aggravating circumstances.
Can a Level 1 Sex Offender Be Around Kids?
Whether a registered offender can be around children depends on that individual’s registration requirements, terms of probation, court orders, and the nature of the original offense. Some offenders are strictly prohibited from being within a certain distance of schools, parks, day care facilities, or being around children without supervision.
Other offenders may have different requirements. Breaking the rules that are ordered by the court or included in registration can lead to further criminal charges in Tippecanoe County.
Contact A Tippecanoe County Sex Crime Lawyer At The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley, P.C., Today
At The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin Perry & Wiley, P.C., our attorneys concentrate solely on criminal defense in Indiana. Our firm consists of five of Indiana’s six Board-Certified Criminal Trial Specialists. We understand that these accusations can change your life. A Tippecanoe County sex crime attorney at our firm is here to help. Contact us today for a consultation.
*Andrew Baldwin, Kathy Perry, Kelly Pyle, Maxwell Wiley, and Michael C. Cunningham are Board-Certified* Criminal Trial Specialists, as certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Find out why having a Board-Certified* Criminal Trial Specialist as your defense lawyer is important here.