OSCEOLA — An Osceola man is accused of multiple counts of child molesting after reporting to police that a relative of the victim assaulted him.
Michael Fitterling, 29, is charged with child molesting as a Level 1 felony and as a Level 4 felony, as well as performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor, a Level 6 felony. He was arrested following an investigation by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s office into alleged incidents involving a girl who was under age 10.
He was given a jury trial date of Nov. 3 during his initial hearing in Elkhart County Superior Court 3.
According to court documents:
Fitterling was interviewed by police on July 29 after reporting that he was the victim of battery. He said the alleged assailant headbutted him and accused him of inappropriately touching the victim.
Officers then read Fitterling his rights and began questioning him about the child molesting accusation. He said he had learned of the allegations in recent weeks and at first denied them, but later in the interview said the victim was an honest person and doesn’t make things up, according to police.
Fitterling allegedly admitted to rubbing the victim’s back, buttocks and other private parts. Police say he told them he “wanted to feel something different.”
He also admitted to masturbating in front of the victim but wasn’t sure if she had seen him, according to police.
The alleged victim underwent a sexual assault examination at a hospital and then was interviewed at Child and Parent Services. She described inappropriate sexual contact from Fitterling on multiple occasions over a three-month period, according to police.
She described one incident that she said almost made her throw up, and another time after which Fitterling apologized and told her that he just wanted to “cuddle,” investigators say.
During a follow-up interview, Fitterling allegedly said he had masturbated in the presence of the victim at least 10 times and touched her inappropriately approximately four times.