In a case that spotlights the persistent and disturbing crime of child exploitation, Alec Hegge of Pendleton has been given a 91-year prison sentence. The sentence came about after Hegge pled guilty to multiple felony charges: Child Molesting (F1), Child Molesting (F2), Child Exploitation (F4), and two counts of Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material (F5). A post on the Fishers Police Department Facebook page detailed the sentencing outcomes.
The Hamilton County Metro ICAC Task Force spearheaded the investigation leading to these results. Upon pleading open to the court, Hegge, received his sentence without the benefit, or mitigation of a plea agreement. The court found Hegge to be a sexually violent predator and a credit-restricted felon. In conjunction with his prison sentence, he has been mandated to register as a sex offender for life.
This task force, operating out of the headquarters in Fishers Police Department, consists of an amalgam of detectives from various law enforcement agencies in the region. The team includes operatives from the Fishers, Carmel, Westfield, Noblesville, Anderson, and Greenfield Police Departments,, as well as the Hamilton County Sheriff, Madison County Sheriff, and the Department of Homeland Security. They work collectively to confront a spectrum of internet crimes against children within Hamilton, Hancock, Madison, and Tipton counties.
Crimes against children, particularly those involving the internet, continue to be an area of concern that law enforcement agencies are relentlessly tackling. With dedicated task forces like the one at Hamilton County, these crimes may be met with the rigorous investigations necessary to bring perpetrators to justice and, hopefully, provide a measure of peace to the victims and their families.
