An Anderson police officer has been arrested and charged with child solicitation, in addition to official misconduct. 50-year-old Joshua Senseney, a former school resource officer at an Anderson Community School, is at the center of these allegations which surfaced after a parent claimed Senseney sent inappropriate texts to juveniles while on duty, according to reports by WTHR.
Indiana State Police launched an investigation into Senseney in June, an initiative that came at the behest of the Anderson Police Department. As reported by WRTV, the said incident happened in May, leading to Senseney's administrative leave in late July as investigations were underway. Charges were filed after a special prosecutor from the Grant County Prosecutor's Office issued an arrest warrant.
Court documents describe how Senseney allegedly sent sexually explicit texts to multiple students at the school and held similar conversations in person. According to an interview with one of the teens obtained by FOX59, "(Senseney) would come around their lunch table (and) he would give them a weird type of vibe, like he was a weird dude," and sometimes, "He added eventually he just thought that was just who (Senseney) was." Senseney alleged in an interview with investigators that his texts were jokes and "nothing more," clarifying that there were no pictures sent.
An examination of Senseney's phone revealed the existence of the texts and images, including photos from social media of some of the teens. Indiana State Police found "numerous (social media) images, and other video files of male students" during their scrutiny of the device. In spite of Senseney's claims that monetary transactions conducted through CashApp were not indicative of any wrongdoing, an investigator suggested, during the interview, they appeared "like a grooming thing" to which Senseney admitted, it was just the appearance, as reported by FOX59.
After turning himself in, Senseney was processed at the Madison County Jail and released upon posting bond. The Anderson Police Department has issued a statement saying that Senseney's status and discipline case will soon be presented to the department's safety board for review and potential action, according to a news release referenced by FOX59. Under Indiana law, Senseney is entitled to a hearing before the safety board, should he request it. Meanwhile, the investigation remains ongoing.
