A 41-year-old Richmond man is facing a Level 4 felony and multiple other charges after two girls under age 16 in Winchester told police he had improper sexual contact with them earlier this year. Dustin R. Holder was charged yesterday, following a motion filed with Randolph Circuit Court seeking a warrant for his arrest.
According to the Pal-Item, Winchester police say the two girls reported the improper contact after Holder had reportedly been staying in their Randolph County family home while dating their mother. The alleged incidents took place between Jan. 1 and mid-April of this year, police said. One accuser told investigators, according to a police report, that Holder forced her to engage in sexual behavior while he watched. Another accuser said, per a police report, that he fondled her and suggested they remove their clothing, and separately said he suggested they should do it. The Indiana Department of Child Services investigated the allegations, the paper reports.
The Charges He Faces
The most serious charge against Holder is a Level 4 felony, which under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-5.5 carries a fixed prison sentence of two to 12 years, an advisory sentence of six years, and fines up to $10,000, according to Justia Law. He also faces two Level 5 felony charges, which under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-6 carry one to six years in prison, an advisory sentence of three years, and a maximum $10,000 fine, per FindLaw.
Court records cited by the Pal-Item show Holder was charged with strangulation, child solicitation, inappropriate communication with a child, sexual misconduct with a minor, and vicarious sexual gratification. Child solicitation under Indiana Code § 35-42-4-6 involves an adult commanding, urging, or enticing a child under 14 to participate in sexual acts, and the charge can be elevated from a Level 5 to a Level 4 felony if it occurred via a computer network, according to IndyJustice. Vicarious sexual gratification, under Indiana Code § 35-42-4-5, applies when an adult directs or causes a child under 16 to perform sexual acts or fondling in an adult's presence, and it escalates to a Level 4 felony if the victim is under 14, per FindLaw.
A Denial and a Prior Conviction
Holder maintained in April that he had resisted advances by one of his accusers, and he denied the juveniles' claims, according to the same police report cited by the Pal-Item. Court records also show Holder, formerly of Parker City and Anderson, was convicted of resisting law enforcement in Randolph County in 2009 — a charge that, under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-7, could have been filed as a Level 6 felony carrying six months to 2.5 years, or as a Class A misdemeanor with up to one year in jail, per FindLaw.
The strangulation charge Holder faces is classified under Indiana Code § 35-42-2-9 as knowingly or intentionally applying pressure to another person's neck or throat to impede breathing. That offense is generally a Level 6 felony but can be elevated to a Level 5 if the victim is pregnant or the offender has a prior strangulation conviction, according to Justia Law. It is not stated in available records which classification applies in Holder's case.
Registry Requirements and Broader Context
If convicted of the felony sex offenses against minors, Holder would be required to register as a sex offender on Indiana's public registry, as mandated by Indiana Code § 11-8-8-5, according to Justia Law. Indiana law also imposes an affirmative duty on any adult who suspects child abuse or neglect to immediately report it to local law enforcement or the Indiana Department of Child Services hotline, per Indiana Code § 31-33-5-1, as outlined by the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office. Statewide, the Indiana Department of Child Services recorded more than 21,000 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in 2025, according to the Indiana Youth Institute.
The case will move through Randolph Circuit Court in Winchester at a moment of transition for the local bench. Longtime Judge Jay L. Toney retired effective July 6, leaving the seat open for a gubernatorial appointment, according to The Indiana Lawyer. The Pal-Item's reporting on Holder's charges, written by reporter Douglas Walker, was published in coordination with the Muncie Star Press. No trial date has been reported, and the allegations against Holder remain unproven pending court proceedings.
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