73-year-old former police chaplain arrested for molestation of 8-year-old
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) –A retired Southport Police Department chaplain has been arrested for the molestation of an 8-year-old girl.
A probable cause affidavit blacked out the girl’s name, but the details were there.
The girl told police the sexual abuse, including rape, happened more than 100 times over the last one to two years, the court documents say.
Police on Wednesday arrested Sylvester “Leroy” Driscoll, 73. Beyond the former work with Southport police, he’d also worked with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department as a civilian employee for more than 20 years before leaving in 2019.
Driscoll doesn’t have a criminal history. He was being held in the Marion County jail without bond. A court hearing was set for Monday.
The child described the abuse to police as “gross.” She said she was forced to watch porn when she was 5 years old.
According to the court documents, the adult who reported the abuse to Indiana Department of Child Services said she noticed the child exhibiting sexual abuse behavior: soiling herself, walking bowlegged, and complaining of stomach pain.
The girl said threats were made to “throw away her toys” if she told anyone, and she said there may be a second girl, too.
One of Driscoll’s neighbor’s tells News 8 that she didn’t know Driscoll personally but was disturbed by the arrest. “I have seven great-grandchildren, and they come here and play all the time, and I’m sorry but that’s very shocking that my babies could be riding bicycles and something happened,” Patricia Alen said.
Allen says the neighborhood is filled with children, and the school bus drops them off along her street. “The babies, I just can’t see someone abusing babies. I’m sorry. I believe in God and whatever punishment should be in its fullest for him.”
Help is available for victims of domestic violence. Below is a list of suggested resources on the Domestic Violence Network website:
- Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence: 24-hour hotline available at 800-332-7385
- Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
- The Julian Center
- Indiana Child Abuse Hotline: 800-800-5556
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673