Convicted child molester to plead guilty to new charges

Proposed plea deal calls for Joshua L. Caudill, 25, of Logansport, to plead guilty to two counts of child solicitation, as a Level 5 felony. Two counts of inappropriate communication with a juvenile are to be dismissed. 

A jury trial set to begin Tuesday in Fulton Circuit Court for Joshua L. Caudill, 25, of Logansport, has been canceled. 

Caudill, facing two counts each of child solicitation and inappropriate communication with a juvenile has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. The proposed deal calls for him to plead guilty to two counts of child solicitation, as a Level 5 felony. 

There is no agreement as to his sentence, except a 5-year cap on the executed sentence. A probationary period is to be set by the court, and the two counts of inappropriate communication with a juvenile are to be dismissed. 

Additionally, Caudill is to admit to violating the terms of his probation for a 2018 conviction of child molesting.

A change of plea hearing is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 23 in Fulton Circuit Court. 

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

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 on Oct. 16, 2023, 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. He's currently held without bond in both cases at the Fulton County Jail.