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Last updated on Friday, November 21, 2014
(BEDFORD) - After deliberating for about 5 hours, a Lawrence County Superior Court I jury found 33-year-old Jeffery Gipson of Mitchell guilty of having sexual intercourse with his girlfriend’s 13-year-old daughter and her friend.
He was also found guilty of two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The jury also found Gipson guilty of being a habitual felony offender.
In addition to Thursday's convictions, he had been convicted of two other felonies -- burglary in 2001 and criminal recklessness, which occurred in 2007 and for which Gipson was convicted in 2009.
According to court testimony Gipson had known the teenager since she had been 8 and was "like a father to her."
Police say that in April Gibson attempted to have sex with the girl. He also touched the girl and performed oral sex on her twice.
The girl told police Gipson fell in love with her when she was 11 and that the two had drank shots of liquor together and on those occasions is when the alleged molesting took place.
Gipson was arrested in May and admitted to an Indiana State Police officer that he and the girl had drank together and had laid down on a bed together, but denies the other allegations.
Gipson provided alcohol to the victims and then later removed some of one of the girl's clothing to have sex at a home in Mitchell in April 2012.
The friend testified that she thought Gipson was hot and the two began texting each other and sending each other explicit photos of each other.
She testified that in March of 2012, she had stayed the night at the victim's house, sleeping on the couch. In the morning of March 31, the family prepared to leave for a visit to the Indianapolis Zoo with Michael Allen. The victim's mom had to work, and Gipson stayed behind. The victim's friend also remained at the house. She testified that once they were alone, she and Gipson had sex that day. She told the jury the sex was consensual.
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