Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter is asking anyone who might be a victim of a man who admitted to police that he touched women in public and rubbed up against a girl in a local store to share their stories.
The suspect, James Duane Brooks, 53, was arrested Friday, June 19, after the sheriff’s department executed a search warrant at Brooks Trucking, 5557 U.S. 27 in Richmond, which is also listed as Brooks’ address in jail records.
Several items were recovered at the scene Friday morning, including computer equipment and mobile phones. Retter said evidence of child pornography was discovered on a preliminary examination of some of the computer equipment seized during the search.
Brooks was inside the building when the search warrant was served and he was later transported to the sheriff’s office.
Brooks was interviewed after the search and provided information connecting him to the child pornography, Retter said.
The suspect also admitted to intentionally touching adult women in public and confessed to rubbing up against a young girl at a Richmond mercantile store, Retter said. Additional interviews for others who might be involved are scheduled next week.
Brooks was arrested on a preliminarily charge of possession of child pornography, a Level 5 felony, and lodged in Wayne County Jail shortly after 3:45 p.m. Friday, and he was still incarcerated as of Saturday afternoon.
Additional charges and/or counts might follow as the investigation progresses, Retter said.
The search warrant and arrest came after a month-long investigation of Brooks after he was discovered by a Wayne County deputy at Middlefork Reservoir under suspicious circumstances, Retter said.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office received assistance on parts of the investigation and the execution of the search warrant from members of the FBI and Indiana State Police, including the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Members of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office were also present during the execution of the search warrant, Retter said.
Retter urges anyone who has information relating to this investigation or believes they might have been victimized by Brooks to call the sheriff’s office at (765) 973-9393.