Zionsville Sex Crime Attorney
A sex crime is one of the more life-altering offenses a person can be charged with, and it comes with many social, professional, and personal reputational consequences in addition to criminal penalties. A Zionsville sex crime lawyer is an essential advocate against your charges. With the right attorney, you are more likely to secure the ideal outcome to your case, including potentially avoiding a conviction.
Hire a Sex Crime Lawyer You Can Rely on in Zionsville
Sex crime charges are serious in Indiana, and you need a strategic and dedicated legal defense. The Criminal Defense Team has decades of combined experience and works exclusively in criminal defense. We are board-certified* criminal trial lawyers with aggressive defense strategies but compassionate guidance for our clients. You may be uncertain of what to do next, and our attorneys can answer your questions and help you know what to expect.
The Criminal Defense Team of Baldwin, Perry & Wiley, PC has several successful case outcomes, including a not-guilty verdict in a child molestation case, a not-guilty result for a sexual battery charge, and a not-guilty result in a rape trial. We have extensive experience navigating cases at the courts in Boone County, such as the Circuit Court at the historic Boone County Courthouse at 310 Courthouse Square in Lebanon.
Our substantial criminal defense team allows us to manage significant discovery phases with a lot of evidence and handle each case with a team of at least two attorneys and a skilled paralegal. This improves the availability of your legal team and the strength of your defense. Also, we set ourselves apart from our competitors by having an attorney who was a former prosecutor and handled high-stakes felony and homicide cases, so they know exactly how to break down the government’s case against you.
With a combined century of legal expertise, we brainstorm innovative strategies for each case. Our lawyers are on-call 24/7 to better support you.
Sex Offenses in Zionsville and Indiana
Sex offenses are crimes that involve a sexual act or activity without the consent of another involved party. This includes offenses like:
- Rape. This offense is a level 3 felony in Indiana and can be elevated to a level 1 felony in aggravated circumstances, such as committing the crime with the threat of deadly force. The most recent annual data for Indiana shows 90 arrests for rape offenses and 2,475 rape offenses reported under the revised definition of rape by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Sexual battery. This is the offense of touching someone else to satisfy the sexual desires of the offender or another party, when the victim is under threat of force, cannot consent, or does not know the offense is happening. Sexual battery is charged as a level 6 felony, but can be elevated to a level 4 felony with aggravating circumstances.
- Prostitution. This offense is charged as a class A misdemeanor. If the offender has two prior convictions of prostitution, it is elevated to a level 6 felony.
- Child pornography possession. Child pornography involves sexual acts with any child younger than 18. This is charged as a level 5 felony, but can be aggravated to a level 4 felony.
- Sexual misconduct with a child. This is the offense of engaging in sexual acts or sexual intercourse with someone who is less than 16 years old by someone who is 18 years or older. It is a level 5 felony. It becomes a level 4 felony if the offender is older than 21. Other factors of the offense can cause it to be lowered to a level 6 felony or aggravated to a level 1 felony.
There are many other offenses that are considered sex crimes, like child molestation, vicarious sexual gratification, and criminal sexual contact. There were 22 offenses of criminal sexual contact reported by the Zionsville Police Department from 2021 to 2025.
These offenses can have very serious consequences, and many are charged as felonies. Felony convictions have significant potential fines and imprisonment sentences and often lead to the loss of certain rights. Many of these sex offenses also impose registration as a sex offender. This can limit where you can go, work, and live, and restrictions can greatly affect your personal life. A strong and strategic defense is crucial.
Why Do I Need to Hire a Sex Crime Lawyer in Zionsville?
When you hire a sex crime lawyer in Zionsville, you protect your rights. Hiring a lawyer does not mean you are guilty. It means you are defending yourself in the criminal justice system with the resources you need. Prosecutors are harsh when they pursue sex crime charges, and public sentiment often assumes guilt from a mere accusation. It is important to protect your future and your reputation against criminal charges, especially ones as serious as sex crimes.
An experienced attorney helps you in many ways. Your attorney can investigate the charges against you, listen to your side of the story, and determine how strong the criminal case against you is. Based on this information, they can begin to build a defense strategy. This may include having illegally obtained evidence dismissed, negotiating for a plea deal, or showing that you are not guilty at trial.
What Are Defenses to Sex Crimes in Zionsville?
Finding the right defense for your unique case is an important part of your defense strategy, as not all defenses apply to every case. There are many potential defenses to sex crimes in Zionsville. Some potential defenses for sex crimes can include:
- Consent. In certain sex offenses, it is possible to argue that the act was consensual, or the alleged offender believed it was consensual. There may have been a misunderstanding, and the alleged offender did not intend to commit the crime.
- Wrong identity. There are some cases where an individual is wrongly identified as the offender. An alibi, forensic evidence, and other information can be used to show the crime was not committed by the person being accused.
- Insufficient evidence. If the prosecution cannot meet its burden of proof, the individual should not be convicted.
- False accusation. Sometimes, accusations of sex crimes are false allegations.
Zionsville Sex Crime Attorney
At The Criminal Defense Team, our five board-certified* criminal trial specialists can help act quickly to protect your reputation, your freedom, and your rights. You need to get the right legal defense from a skilled criminal trial specialist. If you have been charged, arrested, or think you are being investigated for a sex crime, you need to contact The Criminal Defense Team today.
*Our attorneys are certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.