Local News
Molester gets 18 years in prison
Larry J. Nester pleaded guilty to fondling girl, 5
Convicted child molester Larry J. Nester took the stand Friday morning in Howard Superior Court II, with his fate resting in the hands of Judge Stephen Jessup.
Nester, handcuffed and shackled, didn’t apologize for fondling a 5-year-old girl he was baby-sitting. Instead, he said he agreed with the probation department’s recommended 10-year prison sentence for his crime and sat down.
Jessup wasn’t satisfied.
“He was in a position of trust, and he violated it,” Jessup said. “He blamed this on the little girl and said she enticed him.”
Jessup then increased the probation department’s recommendation to 19 years in prison with one-year suspended to be served on probation. Nester also was ordered to register as a sex offender upon his prison released. The maximum for a B felony is 20 years in prison.
Nester pleaded guilty to a Class B felony in the case in May, admitting he fondled the young girl.
“There’s not enough time for what he did to my daughter,” the victim’s father said on the stand. “He was supposed to be a close friend, and I catch him with my daughter.”
Nester was living at the victim’s house on South Main Street when the sexual contact occurred in November 2008.
“I walked in and heard giggling in the bedroom, opened the door and caught him,” the girl’s father told the judge.
“She still remembers,” he continued. “She used to tell her mother about it all the time, and she was in counseling.”
The girl is now in kindergarten and is doing better, he added.
Besides Nester, the victim’s attorney, Brad Hamilton, did not call on any witnesses or introduce any evidence.
Howard County Prosecutor James Fleming said he would like to see a higher sentence than recommended.
After hearing from the lone witness, Fleming got his wish when Jessup handed down the near-maximum punishment.
Kokomo police initially arrested Nester, 46, on two child molest charges, one A felony and one C felony, in connection with allegations he had sexual contact with a child on multiple occasions.
Police said Nester had sexual contact with the 5-year-old girl in November. The victim’s mother told police her husband walked in on Nester committing a sex act on the child. He said he took the children out of the house and immediately sought police help.
“That’s still not enough time,” the victim’s father said afterwards. “My daughter’s gotta live with this for the next 70 or 80 years, or as long as she’s still alive.”
• Mike Fletcher is the Kokomo Tribune crime reporter. He can be reached at (765) 454-8577 or mike.fletcher@kokomotribune.com.
- Local News
-
-
Kokomo church struggles to pay cleanup debt
Pastor Dwight Hobson says he can’t understand why the state of Indiana is insisting on taking the money out of his collection plate.
After all, Hobson says, he is saving the state money by counseling teenagers on Kokomo’s near east side, keeping them away from gangs, drugs and teen pregnancy.
-
GM not changing anything for now
General Motors leaders on Wednesday addressed the company’s business operations and competition to its workers in Kokomo, GM said.
GM spokesman Kevin Nadrowski said company leaders spoke to their Kokomo employees during a routine update meeting. The company told the workers it is "assessing its business model," he said, but he would not further comment on the discussion.
“We’re not making any announcements, and there are no immediate changes to
operation,” he said. -
County council OKs funds for event center repairs
The Howard County Council on Tuesday night approved funding for repairs to the Kokomo Event Center’s roof, which should cost about a third as much as previously estimated.
-
‘Delphi isn’t closing anything’
Delphi Automotive Systems LLC says it will not close any of its operations in Kokomo.
Company spokeswoman Linda Ferries has responded to reports posted this afternoon on Inside INdiana Business’ website. She said the reported information is incorrect. The Indianapolis-based news agency quoted United Auto Workers Region 3 Director Maurice Davison as saying Delphi will phase out its Kokomo operations in 2012.
-
Nude drawings prompt arrest
Two drawings that police say depict a naked underage girl have allegedy landed a Sharpsville man behind bars on two counts of felony possession of child pornography.
-
Korean War veterans honored in Armistice Day event
A handful of Korean veterans stood at attention Tuesday to honor the brave soldiers who didn’t make it home after the three-year war in Southeast Asia.
-
Center Road closed for U.S. 31 work
Center Road is now closed between 150 East and 350 East, due to construction work on the U.S. 31 Kokomo Corridor bypass.
-
Councilman brings up business prospect at meeting
Kokomo Common Councilman Bob Cameron took more than a few people by surprise Monday when he asked area economic development director Jeb Conrad to come to the microphone.
-
Standoff ends in suicide
A Tipton County man allegedly fired a shotgun at a neighboring house late Monday before committing suicide, Howard County Sheriff Marty Talbert reported.
-
Duke Energy cuts power to apartments
Duke Energy Corp. says it had to cut power Tuesday to a Kokomo apartment building that dates back to the Great Depression because of “serious safety hazards.”
- More Local News Headlines
-
