Indiana Woman Guilty of Child Molestation

(South Bend, Indiana) In accordance with a plea agreement, a 36-year-old local woman, Holly Rhodes, has pleaded guilty in St. Joseph County Superior Court to repeatedly molesting a child relative, starting at the age of seven.

The agreement specifies that Rhodes will receive a suspended six-year prison sentence to be served on probation.

Judge Jerome Frese repeatedly questioned Rhodes during the plea hearing, making sure she understood the charges and plea agreement terms.

The judge referenced Rhodes having some level of reduced mental capacity, which Rhodes acknowledged, but she responded that she did understand the accusations and what she was pleading guilty to.

According to court documents, the molestation came to light when the now-teenage boy spoke to officials at the CASIE Center, telling them he had been abused for several years until age 10.

The victim said the molestation had included sex acts and sexual intercourse.

Continued sex offender counseling and registration as a sex offender were also mandated in the agreement. Rhodes will be sentenced on March 15.

Probation, eh? On the lenient side, don't ya' think?