20-Year-Old Benjamin Rollo Arrested for Molesting Girl at Grand Park and Preying on Others via Social Media

Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News : Investigation Underway After Westfield Man Arrested for Molesting Girl at Grand Park and Preying on Other Girls via Social Media

An ongoing investigation is being conducted following the arrest of a 20-year-old man from Westfield, who has been accused of molesting a young girl at Grand Park and engaging in sexual exploitation of other girls through social media platforms.

According to court documents, the Westfield Police Department initiated the investigation almost a year ago in December 2022. The investigation was triggered after a concerned mother confiscated her 12-year-old daughter’s phone and discovered messages detailing the incident at Grand Park, which the girl had shared with a friend.

The friend’s response to the girl’s account was deeply troubling, as they said, “He raped you.” This revelation prompted the mother to report the situation to the authorities.

Law enforcement officials believe that there may be additional victims who have yet to be identified during the course of their investigation.

Upon apprehending the suspect, Benjamin Rollo, investigators were informed that they would likely find over 1,000 images of young girls on his phone. Furthermore, the police discovered a Snapchat account that was unassociated with any phone number, address, name, or email.

This anonymous account had been communicating with at least 13 other Snapchat accounts belonging to individuals who identified themselves as girls between the ages of 11 and 15. The account would request meetings or the exchange of explicit content.

In a disturbing turn of events, just hours after the molestation incident involving the 12-year-old girl in July 2022, the account connected to Rollo messaged a 15-year-old girl, soliciting a meeting and sending her a video containing explicit content. The evidence obtained from the investigation overwhelmingly linked Rollo to the anonymous account.

Rollo’s attorney declined to provide any comment regarding the case.

According to court records, the 12-year-old victim admitted to keeping the details of the incident a secret out of fear of getting into trouble for sneaking out of a bedroom window during a sleepover. Rollo, the perpetrator, allegedly picked up the girls and drove them to a parking lot at Grand Park, where he molested the 12-year-old girl in the backseat of his vehicle.

The victim’s phone contained messages in which she pleaded with Rollo to stop his actions, but he ignored her pleas, as stated in the affidavit.

Additionally, police have accused Rollo of engaging with another girl, aged 14, through Snapchat. The 14-year-old victim revealed that she had exchanged explicit photos and videos with Rollo on the social media platform before meeting him in person in December 2022. Fortunately, she managed to resist his advances during their encounter.

During Rollo’s arrest at a residence in West Lafayette, law enforcement officials seized his laptop and phone as part of the ongoing investigation. Rollo now faces multiple charges, including three counts of child molesting, two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, and two counts of possession of child pornography.

Rollo appeared before a judge for an initial hearing on Monday, where his bail was set at $100,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, he remains in custody at the Hamilton County Jail, according to online court records.

It is important to note that child molesting and rape are both classified as Level 3 felonies in Indiana. However, child molesting is a less severe charge to prosecute compared to rape, according to Joshua Kocher, the chief deputy prosecuting attorney in Hamilton County. Sentencing guidelines for Level 3 felonies in Indiana range from three to 16 years of imprisonment, with an advisory sentence of nine years.

In light of this disturbing incident, the Westfield Police Department emphasizes the significance of discussing online safety with children. Parents are encouraged to have open conversations with their children about the potential dangers of online interactions and to stress the importance of responsible internet use.

Parents should remind their children never to share personal information online and to be cautious when dealing with strangers. It is crucial to caution children against befriending unknown individuals online and to never agree to meet them unsupervised, as advised by the police department.

Furthermore, fostering open communication and encouraging children to share any concerns or experiences they may have is vital.

For further information, please contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19..