Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter found a 48-year-old man guilty of attempted rape following a one-day bench trial Thursday.
Alan Conrad Karenke will face a sentence of between three and 16 years on the Level 3 felony charge during his sentencing at 2 p.m. May 6. He also will face six months to two and a half years on a Level 6 felony charge of criminal confinement and a Class A misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement.
He was returned to the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 4:54 p.m., where he will be held until his sentencing.
Karenke was found not guilty on a rape charge, while a charge of interfering with reporting a crime was dismissed.
The verdict stems from an incident in the early hours of March 20, 2017, when police were called to a residence in the 3700 block of West County Road 1125N on a report of a rape.
Police said at the time Karenke had raped a woman and held her against her will at the home. Police pulled the woman through a window of the home after they arrived on scene.
County Officer Jesse Hutchinson, who testified, said he knocked on the door and Karenke would not allow officers to enter. Hutchinson pulled the woman from the home and took her to his police cruiser.
The woman told people she woke and found Karenke performing sex on her. Three children were in the home at the time of the incident.
Karenke still would not allow police to enter the home, and for the safety of the children, police entered through a window and tased him, according to court documents.
The victim told police she was asleep but later told the court through a deposition she was pretending to be asleep.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant said that’s why the court found Karenke guilty of attempted rape and not rape. Both charges carry the same penalty, he said.
Chalfant said the victim was pressured by people to lie to authorities about the incident, which is why she provided conflicting accounts. The victim did not attend or testify in the trial, but her deposition was entered as testimony.
Karenke and his attorney, Daniel S. Vandivier, agreed with the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office to waive a right to a jury trial and try it in front of Poynter.
In addition to Hutchinson, Poynter heard testimony from Jackson County officers Mark Holt, Bob Lucas and Ben Rudolph, investigator Bob Hedger, Judge AmyMarie Travis. who was prosecutor at the time. and representatives from the Indiana State Police crime lab.
Chalfant said he would encourage anyone who is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault and receiving pressure not to come forward to reach out to his office or Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
“It’s difficult enough to go through this process and legal process, but when you’re pressured by someone you trust not to come forward, it’s even more difficult,” he said.
Vandivier declined to comment Friday when reached by phone.
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Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant encourages victims of domestic violence or sexual assault to reach out to Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
The organization can be reached for services by calling the hotline at 800-221-6311.
If in danger, call 911.
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