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Last updated on Saturday, August 18, 2012
(BLOOMINGTON) - A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday evening for allegedly molesting his 6-year-old great-granddaughter inside a church bathroom.
Ralph Maners, 68, was booked into the Monroe County Jail at about 7 p.m.
Wednesday after Bloomington Police Detective Sgt. John Kovach said Maners confessed to the crime. He faces a preliminary charge of child molestation, a Class A felony.
The incident in question, which occurred around Aug. 1, kickstarted an investigation when the child told her mother on Tuesday she may have been molested by her great-grandfather, Kovach said.
The mother scheduled a doctor's appointment for her daughter at Southern Indiana Pediatrics, who notified Child Protective Services and BPD.
The 6-year-old was interviewed Wednesday at Susie's Place, a child advocacy center in Bloomington. The girl said the incident occurred when she and Maners ran an errand to his church to get some toilet paper, Kovach said. The alleged molestation took place in the church restroom.
After the girl's interview, Maners was called in for questioning the same day at the BPD station. He initially denied all allegations but later admitted to molesting his great-granddaughter in the church restroom.
Kovach said Maners first molested the girl about a year ago and has done so two or three more times since then.
Excluding the alleged molestation inside the bathroom of the undisclosed church, all other suspected molestations occurred at Maners'
residence.
Maners bond was set at $100,000 surety, $500 cash.
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