Brookville man sentenced to 5 years for illicit conversations with child

(BROOKVILLE, Ind.) – A Brookville man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to inappropriate conversations with an underage girl. 

36-year-old Robert Marshall pleaded guilty earlier this month to Child Solicitation, which carried a sentence ranging from 1 to 6 years in prison. 

On Tuesday, Franklin County Judge Alex Dudley sentenced Marshall to 5 years in prison, citing aggravating factors such as the harm to the victim and breaching a position of trust.

Prosecutors say Marshall declined to make any statement, allocution, or argument on his own behalf during the sentencing hearing.

In addition to the 5-year prison sentence, the judge also ordered Marshall to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison. 

The Investigation

The investigation began in July after Marshall’s landlord reported him to the Brookville Police Department. The lead investigator was Brookville officer Matthew Bennett. 

The next day, Marshall allegedly wanted to “turn himself in” and spoke with Officer Bennett.

Police say Marshall claimed to not recall past events but did give investigators the consent to have his phone searched.

Officer Bennett then spoke with the alleged victim, identified as a 13-year-old girl, and later obtained a warrant for the phone search. 

Police said Marshall began communicating with the child through a Facebook “friend” request. 

The conversation eventually included explicit sexually-oriented topics, Marshall offered to give nicotine to the victim in exchange for sex acts, and he physically threatened the victim if she refused, prosecutors say.

“Further, the victim reported that nude images were sent to Marshall and he responded in kind. And although there had been plans for the victim to meet with Marshall in-person, it never did occur," Franklin County Prosecutor Chris Huerkamp said. 

Prosecutor Huerkamp added, "However, most of the records of the communication described by the victim had been already been deleted from the victim’s phone."

Huerkamp commended Officer Bennett’s efforts and described it as exceptional police work. 

“Although there isn’t necessarily anything ‘typical’ when it comes to these types of cases, this report presented itself in highly unusual fashion, to say the least. Nevertheless, Officer Bennett painstakingly followed the evidence and proper procedures to ensure that at the end of the day a child predator faced justice swiftly and severely,” Huerkamp said. 

Huerkamp also reiterated that despite the nature and duration of the conversations between Marshall and the victim, it is not believed that there was any physical contact that ever occurred.

“From my perspective, that is the least disgusting aspect of this case," Huerkamp said.  

Protecting Children Online

The prosecutor says this case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers that exist through social media. Huerkamp is providing the following safety tips for parents and guardians:

• Only use apps and platforms with verified parental controls and privacy settings.

  
  

• Supervise internet access and teach basic online safety rules such as not clicking on unknown links, not accepting friend requests from strangers, and not sharing locations.

  
  

• Keep devices in shared spaces and teach kids about 'safe strangers' online. 

  
  

• Start conversations early about digital footprints, encouraging them to be cautious about sharing personal information and pictures online.

  
  

• Regularly review your child’s apps, privacy settings, and device activity. 

• Prosecutor Huerkamp urges community members to report any type of suspicious behavior discovered on a child’s phone or digital device to law enforcement immediately.

RELATED: Indiana State Police Motor Carrier Inspector Kimberly Hill is passionate about informing parents of online dangers. She gave a seminar in Batesville earlier this year and you can read that here.