A 23-year-old Shelbyville man is facing child solicitation charges after authorities say he drove to Portage to meet who he believed was a 13-year-old, according to court records. Prosecutors in Porter County have charged Marco Garcia after investigators reviewed message threads and a planned rendezvous that led officers to the Portage location.
Tip From NWI Predator Catchers, Court Documents Say
According to the charging documents, Portage detectives were contacted after a member of NWI Predator Catchers reported an online conversation they believed involved a minor. The probable cause affidavit, which was also summarized by Region News Source, alleges Garcia acknowledged the decoy's age in messages and agreed to meet in Portage. That filing forms the basis for the child solicitation counts now pending in Porter County.
Portage Stings And Police Response
Portage police have increasingly reviewed tips from NWI Predator Catchers in recent years, and local reporting shows several arrests have followed similar operations. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, a Valparaiso man was charged in 2024 after a sting credited to the same group, highlighting how citizen decoy efforts have become one way some online solicitation cases surface. When such message threads are turned over, investigators typically review them and, if they find probable cause, seek warrants or file formal charges.
What The Charges Mean Under Indiana Law
Indiana treats child solicitation as a felony, with penalties that depend on the ages involved and the conduct alleged. State law and appellate rulings indicate a Level 5 felony solicitation conviction can carry roughly one to six years in prison, while a Level 4 conviction can carry up to about 12 years, with sentencing affected by prior record and other factors. Recent Indiana appellate opinions, available in public court databases, outline how courts have interpreted the statute and related appeals.
Court filings list the charges in Porter County, and the initial public report on the case appeared via Region News Source. The Porter County Prosecutor's Office will review the matter, and the county court docket is expected to show any scheduled hearings or next steps as the case moves through the local system.
