Edinburgh police officer arrested on child molestation charges while as security guard
EDINBURGH, Ind. Jan 7 2021– An Edinburgh police officer is facing charges after allegedly molesting a child.
Court documents show Michael David Nunez, 33, faces two counts of child molesting.
The investigation began on Dec. 29, 2020 after Edinburgh Police Chief Doyne Little received a call from an Edinburgh police officer. That officer told him he’d been contacted about sexual abuse by the mother of the victim.
Investigators spoke with the victim and the victim’s mother, collected available evidence and reported what they found to the prosecutor’s office.
According to court documents filed in the case, the victim told police they had been sexually abused by Nunez for the past several years. The victim was reportedly 6 years old when the alleged abuse began.
The victim reported Nunez mentioned that he could go to jail if the victim told anybody.
When detectives tried to speak with Nunez, he was working another job as a security guard. While working the security job, he was wearing an Edinburgh Police Department uniform but driving his personal vehicle.
On Dec. 30, 2020, Nunez was located near River Road and Triangle Road in Camp Atterbury sitting in his vehicle. Due to his actions and comments to officers, he was immediately taken to a nearby hospital under a detention order.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges against Nunez for two counts of child molesting, a Level 1 felony.
The charge can be a Level 3 felony, but since Nunez is more than 21 years old, the charge was enhanced to a Level 1.
Nunez was arrested on Jan. 5, immediately after being released from the hospital.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to protecting the citizens of Johnson County and impartially enforcing all laws, regardless of the individuals involved. Law enforcement officers should be held to a higher standard and any allegations against them will always be fully investigated and handled the same as any other case,” Sheriff Duane Burgess said.
Nunez faces a possible penalty of 20-50 years in jail per charge. Since the counts can run consecutive to each other, Nunez faces up to 100 years. More charges are possible if the ongoing investigation reveals new information.
A special prosecutor will not be sought in this case because the alleged crimes occurred outside Nunez’s capacity as an Edinburgh Police officer.
Nunez’s bond was set at $160,000, cash only. He has been suspended without pay since Dec. 29.
