Tippecanoe County police arrest Evansville man charged with child molesting

EVANSVILLE — Police in Lafayette, Indiana, arrested an Evansville man Friday after Vanderburgh County prosecutors charged him with child molesting.

The man, 54-year-old Douglas Diekmann, was still listed as being in the custody of the Tippecanoe County jail as of Tuesday morning and it was not immediately clear when he would be returned to Vanderburgh County. Diekmann, a banker, is being held in jail on a $50,000 bond.

Diekmann’s arrest came after a Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office investigation determined there was probable cause to believe Diekmann molested a boy, who is listed in Diekmann’s arrest affidavit as “Victim 1,” sometime between 10 and 14 years ago.

As of Tuesday, Diekmann faces one count of felony child molesting, according to court records. Attorney Terrell Maurer, of Bob Zoss Law Office, entered an appearance on Diekmann’s behalf, though Maurer could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to detectives, the victim said Diekmann repeatedly performed sex acts on him when he was under the age of 14.

“(The victim) said Diekmann taught him basically how to masturbate,” Detective Mike Hertweck Jr. wrote in the affidavit, adding that the victim claimed Diekmann would “ask if that felt good” and tell him “that is the way you do it” during the alleged incidents. The victim also claimed Diekmann showed them pornography.

The affidavit states that detectives interviewed another person who claimed Diekmann molested them during a sleepover when they were in the second grade, though a detective referred to this person as an “involved other” rather than as a “victim.”

The person reportedly told investigators that during the sleepover at Diekmann’s house, someone came into the room he was staying in, got under the covers with him and performed oral sex on him.

“He advised he was unsure who performed the act on him, but believed it to be Doug (Diekmann),” Hertweck wrote.

When detectives asked this person what they “would like to see happen” to Diekmann, they reportedly said, “Mr. Diekmann is around kids” and that they did not want “any other kid having anything done to them.”

On a public social media profile, Diekmann lists extensive experience with multiple Evansville-based volunteer organizations that serve children. The Courier & Press contacted some of the organizations Tuesday seeking to confirm Diekmann’s roles within the groups and whether any of the groups had been made aware of allegations against Diekmann.

The volunteer experience listed on Diekmann’s online account stretches back to 1996.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville man arrested near Lafayette, charged with child molesting