Child molester sentenced to prison again

Joshua L. Caudill, 26, of Logansport, has pleaded guilty to two counts of child solicitation and been sentenced to two consecutive 5-year sentences. He also admitted to violating the terms of his probation for a 2018 conviction of child molesting.

A convicted child molester has been sentenced to serve an additional 10 years in prison for offenses committed while he was out on probation. 

Joshua L. Caudill, 26, of Logansport, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of child solicitation, both Level 5 felonies. In exchange, the state dismissed two counts of inappropriate communication with a child.

On Nov. 4, Fulton Circuit Court Judge Chris Lee sentenced Caudill to serve 5 years in prison for each count of child solicitation, with no time suspended. The sentences are to run consecutively, with no time suspended. He was given 513 days jail credit. 

Caudill picked up the new charges while out on probation for a 2018 conviction of child molesting.

A probable cause affidavit prepared by Lt. Det. Matt Campbell of the Rochester Police Department details allegations leading to Caudill's recent arrest on Oct. 16, 2023. 

Three days earlier, police received a request to escort two juveniles home from the Fulton County Public Library due to an adult male reportedly "acting weird" around them. That request came from a library employee, who further voiced concern that the man, later identified as Caudill, had been messaging one of the juveniles while they were both at the library. 

Parents were subsequently contacted about the concerns and began looking through the messages. While scrolling through, they reportedly located a picture of an adult male's penis that had been sent by Caudill. 

After reviewing the messages further, Campbell noted it appeared Caudill was attempting to lure the juveniles to the library by offering them cigarettes. 

Caudill was interviewed by Campbell the day of his arrest. That interview took place at Rochester Police Department after Caudill had reportedly admitted to a probation officer that he had sent a picture of his penis to two juveniles.

He confirmed the same in his interview with Campbell and also admitted to sending a video of him masturbating, according to the probable cause affidavit. 

During his interview, Caudill reportedly stated that he knew his actions were wrong but he liked the attention and would take it from anyone that would give it to him.

"I attempted to explain that it was wrong and illegal to communicate with a child this young in the way he was and he said that he believed that [it] was very common and a lot of people acted this way," Campbell stated about his interview with Caudill. "He went on to say that the place he was incarcerated previously was full of these type of people."

Upon his arrest, Caudill's probation was revoked in the earlier case, for which he was sentenced to serve 9 years in prison, with 7 years executed and 2 years suspended with probation.