Koop
Originally charged with 21 felonies, including 19 counts of child molestation, resulting from an investigation conducted by the Seymour Police Department into allegations of misconduct spanning two decades, a Brownstown man pleaded guilty to one Class C felony count of child molestation in Jackson Circuit Court on Nov. 10.
Max Koop, 57, initially was charged with 10 Class A felony counts of child molesting; nine Class C felony counts of child molesting; a Class D felony count of intimidation; and a Level 5 felony count of sexual misconduct with a minor.
The plea agreement, negotiated by Koop’s attorney, Mark Dove, and Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant, calls for Koop to receive an eight-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction with the entire sentence beyond his time served since being booked into the Jackson County Jail on Dec. 24, 2021, suspended. Koop will be placed on supervised probation for two years.
With his sentence being entirely suspended, Koop is unlikely to serve additional jail time related to these charges, should he complete his probation without violation.
Additionally, Koop will have to pay court costs, probation fees and a $100 child abuse prevention fee, be subjected to regular drug screenings and be forced to register as a sex offender.
In 2021, Lt. C.J. Foster with the Seymour Police Department said the incidents leading to the charges occurred over a number of years in the mid- to late 1990s at residences in the Brownstown and Seymour areas.
The investigation started in June 2021 when one of the three children, who is now an adult, spoke with a Seymour officer about the incidents, according to the probable cause affidavit. Police then interviewed the other two children, who also are adults.
During an interview with police, Koop denied doing anything to the children, but he did fail a voice stress exam, according to court records.