Hankins
A jury recently found a Henryville man guilty on three felony charges.
Jason M. Hankins, 43, now faces sentencing during a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 6 in Jackson Circuit Court in Brownstown.
At the end of the two-day trial that was held Sept. 6 and 7, the jury found Hankins guilty on the first count of child molesting, a Level 1 felony; a second count of incest, a Level 4 felony; and a third count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 4 felony.
He was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown, where he remains.
A Level 1 felony carries a sentence of 20 to 40 years with an advisory sentence of 30 years, while a Level 4 felony is punishable by two to 12 years with an advisory sentence of six years.
Judge Richard W. Poynter presided over the trial. The state was represented by Jackson County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Hollingsworth. Hankins was represented by Jeremy Braunstein.
When Hankins was arrested in late March 2020, he was living in Seymour. Earlier that year, the Seymour Police Department began investigating a report of child molestation.
According to the probable cause affidavit signed by Detective Troy Munson, the investigation uncovered several incidents involving a child and Hankins over a number of years. That led to the other charges being filed.
A Jackson Circuit Court warrant was issued for Hankins, and he was arrested and booked into the jail.
A jury trial had been scheduled for Sept. 29, 2020, but was canceled a little more than a month before when Poynter granted a motion for continuance.
The trial was reset for three different dates in 2021 and for March 8 of this year, but they all were canceled after continuances were granted.
A June 7 trial date was canceled, too, before the trial was conducted.