Five children allegedly molested
Holton man charged with felony crimes
Wanda English Burnett, Editor

An initial hearing was held last Thursday, March 23 in Ripley County Circuit Court for Brian Lee Tyler, 22, of Holton, after formal felony charges were filed by Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel.

Tyler faces two counts of Child Molesting, A felonies, two counts of Child Molesting, C felonies, and one count of Vicarious Sexual Gratification: Fondling in the Presence of a Minor, a D felony.

The charges stem from an alleged incident that occurred over the New Year’s Eve holiday in 2005, when Tyler was helping to care for five children in the Versailles area. The children were all under the age of 14.

In the Probable Cause affidavit, Tyler denied the accusations saying “nothing happened.” He said he didn’t do anything sexual with the kids. When asked why the children would say those things about him, he noted he made them listen and behave when he was watching them and maybe they didn’t like that.

Hertel recommended that Tyler be held on $100,000 bail, saying he had only recently been released from probation (December 2005). He said he didn’t have the full report of the defendant’s history at the initial hearing.

Circuit Court Judge Carl Taul accepted the recommendation of the prosecutor, setting Tyler’s bail at $100,000. He would need $10,000 cash to get out of jail. Tyler was arrested March 22 and remains in the Ripley County Jail. After establishing that the defendant could not afford an attorney, John Watson was appointed.

Hertel noted that the charges carry serious fines and imprisonment. If convicted, Tyler could face up to 50 years in prison. An omnibus hearing was set for June 2, with trial being set for August 15.

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