Washington County, Indiana — Indiana State Police arrested a Washington County man Wednesday on multiple felony charges involving alleged sexual abuse of a minor.
According to Indiana State Police, troopers from the Sellersburg Post arrested Jacob L. Hayes, 43, early Wednesday morning at his residence in Washington County. Hayes was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday after troopers served an arrest warrant issued by the Washington County Circuit Court.
Police said the investigation began in January 2026 after a family case manager with the Indiana Department of Child Services reported allegations of inappropriate sexual contact involving a minor. The case was assigned to Detective Travis Baker of the Indiana State Police.
Investigators said Detective Baker, working alongside DCS personnel, conducted interviews and gathered evidence as part of the investigation. This included a forensic interview of the alleged victim at a local child advocacy center. Following the initial investigation, police said all findings were forwarded to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors sought and obtained a warrant charging Hayes with multiple offenses. Court records show the charges include one count of child molesting, a Level 1 felony; one count of child molesting, a Level 4 felony; eleven counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, Level 4 felonies; two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor, Level 5 felonies; two counts of dissemination of matter harmful to minors, Level 6 felonies; and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Class A misdemeanors.
Hayes was transported to the Washington County Jail, where he is being held without bond pending his initial court appearance.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact Detective Travis Baker at the Indiana State Police Sellersburg Post at (800) 872-6743.
All subjects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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