A 48-year-old Seymour man convicted of attempted rape received the advisory sentence for a Level 3 felony Monday in Jackson Circuit Court.
Alan Conrad Karenke was sentenced to nine years in prison by Judge Richard W. Poynter.
Four years of that sentence were suspended, and Karenke also was sentenced to a year on a Level 6 felony charge of criminal confinement and Class A misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement.
Those sentences will be served concurrently, according to court documents.
Karenke, who also received 64 days of credit for time served, had faced a maximum of 16 years in prison following his conviction March 7 during a one-day bench trial conducted by Poynter.
The victim did not attend the sentencing hearing.
The sentence stems from an incident in the early hours of March 20, 2017, when police were called to a home in the 3700 block of West County Road 1125N on a report of a rape.
Police said at the time that 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.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Department 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 the victim was pressured by people to lie to authorities about the incident, which is why she provided conflicting accounts.
That’s why the court found Karenke guilty of attempted rape and not rape, he said. Both are Level 3 felonies.
The victim did not attend or testify in the trial, but her deposition was entered as testimony.
In addition to Hutchinson, Poynter heard testimony from 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 the sentence was fair, but it was a sad case. He also said victims who are told by others to not come forward should reach out to his office or Turning Point Domestic Violence Services.
"You just need to go to someone who will support you," he said. "It’s a terrifying thing where a victim is told not to come forward."
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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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