Full Notification

On 03/28/2016 just before 1:30 pm, Steuben County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a sex offense involving a child in the 4600 block of south Sandman Dr in the rural Pleasant Lake area of Steuben County. Once deputies arrived, it was discovered that a child at least 14 years of age but less than 16 years of age reportedly had sexual contact with an adult male at least 21 years of age. Sheriff’s detectives were called to assist in the investigation. Following interviews of the victim and alleged perpetrator, Sheriff’s detectives took 47 year old Duane Lee Walters III of Pleasant Lake into custody at the Sheriff’s Office. Walters was booked into the Steuben County Jail on one count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a level 5 felony. Walters remains held without bond pending an initial court appearance. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the investigation by the Hamilton Police and the Indiana Department of Child Services.

**Any criminal charge is merely and accusation. The Defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.**