A Brown County man was sentenced to serve three years with the Indiana Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to child solicitation, a Class D felony.
Jody Jaggers, 46, 9814 Short Chute Road, appeared in Brown Circuit Court on March 26. He did not say much during the hearing. He did respond “Yes” when asked if he was aware of his victim’s age.
The victim told police that Jaggers had abused her for several years starting when she was 12 and that it had occurred in four counties: Brown, Johnson, Lawrence and Monroe.
Jaggers also had been charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, a Class C felony, but that charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement. He had pleaded not guilty when charges were filed last March.
Police began investigating Jaggers in August 2015. The victim had filed for a protective order against him in Vigo County, and she told police there about what had happened, according to a probable-cause affidavit.
Indiana State Police Trooper Chris Griggs visited Jaggers at home in August 2015 while conducting a welfare check. Someone had reported Jaggers was threatening to kill himself, the affidavit said. Jaggers told the officer he was upset about a text message and had been contemplating suicide, but he was fine.
Griggs wrote in the affidavit that “something didn’t seem right” when talking with the man.
Brown County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Moore conducted a second welfare check a few days later. Moore then told Griggs that the victim had told Vigo County authorities he had been abusing her.
When the victim left Brown County, Jaggers created a fake Facebook account to contact her, she said. He was arrested Oct. 2, 2015, on a Vigo County warrant for felony identity deception and misdemeanor invasion of privacy. He pleaded guilty in July 2016 and was sentenced to serve 20 days in jail and two-and-half years on probation.
Jaggers was arrested March 21, 2017, the same day Brown County charges were filed, after police were called again to his home to check his welfare.
A no-contact order in favor of the victim was granted during the sentencing hearing March 26.
Jaggers was sentenced to pay $186 in fines and court costs, but the court ruled that he will not have to pay them since he currently does not have a source of income. He received credit for 378 days already served.
