A Norman man faces four sex-related charges involving a child under the age of 14, police report.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Department officers arrested Jason Levi Bellamy, 37, on a Jackson Circuit Court warrant Friday for three Level 1 felony counts of child molesting and one Level 4 felony count of sexual misconduct with a minor.
He was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 4:56 p.m. Friday without bond, and his initial court hearing on the charges was Monday. Jackson Circuit Court Judge Richard W. Poynter set Bellamy’s jury trial date for 8:30 a.m. Sept. 26.
The arrest is the result of an investigation by Indiana State Police Detective Andrew Mitchell into allegations of child molestation that were reported to police by the Jackson County Department of Child Services.
In a November 2016 interview at Children’s Advocacy Center of Southeastern Indiana in Dillsboro, the victim said she had been living with a relative in Crothersville when she met Bellamy.
The girl told police Bellamy picked her up from school May 13, 2016, and took her to a park in Brownstown. While they were sitting in Bellamy’s truck, he kissed her.
Bellamy then drove to a secluded wooded area, where he started kissing her and removing her clothing, she told police.
He proceeded to touch the victim and had sexual intercourse with her, according to court documents. The victim also said Bellamy made her perform oral sex on him on the ride back.
The victim told police the sexual interaction with Bellamy became a “daily occurrence” for a couple of months until she moved, according to court records.
During an interview with police Dec. 6, 2016, Bellamy denied having any sexual contact or inappropriate interactions with the victim and refused to provide a DNA sample or undergo a polygraph.
At the time of his interview, Bellamy was living in Paris, Ohio.
Police were granted a search warrant from Jackson County Superior Court I in January to obtain a DNA sample from Bellamy, which he provided, and cellphone records for Bellamy and the victim.
The case was then forwarded to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office for review, which sought and received a warrant for Bellamy’s arrest in late March.
A Level 1 felony is punishable by 20 to 40 years in prison upon conviction.