LAFAYETTE — Prosecutors have filed charges against a 42-year-old man after a missing 10-year-old girl was found injured inside his home last week.
The mother of the girl told police her daughter was missing for about 30 minutes before she called police, Lafayette Police Department Lt. Randy Sherer said in a press release last week. The man, who lived in the 700 block of Park Avenue, made comments about seeing the child in the time frame she was missing.
On Monday, prosecutors in Tippecanoe County charged James Chadwell II with attempted murder, two counts of child molesting, kidnapping, criminal confinement resulting in serious bodily injury, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and strangulation, according to online court records.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Chadwell forced the girl to go into his basement, perform a sexual act, hit her in the head when she fought back and made threats to kill her if she screamed or told anyone what happened.
The girl went into his home to pet his dogs before she was forced to go into his basement, according to the affidavit.
According to medical records and observations from officers described in the affidavit, the girl had strangulation marks on her neck, broken blood vessels with black eyes, bruising and bite marks.
Chadwell has several previous felony convictions in Indiana and South Dakota, according to the affidavit.
