A man documented in Indiana as a sexually violent predator is facing seven criminal counts after police say he repeatedly targeted female state employees in downtown Indianapolis, touching their feet and, in one case, following a woman into a restricted stairwell. Melvin Harney Jr., 56, of Indianapolis, was booked into the Marion County Jail on a $5,000 bond following an investigation that stretched from early May through mid-August, according to FOX59 News.
According to Fox 59, the first reported incident happened on May 4 in the Washington Street Garage, where Harney allegedly grabbed a woman's backless heels, touched her heel inside her shoe, and then grabbed her by the ankle. That employee reported the encounter to Capitol Police, setting off a monthslong effort to identify the man responsible.
A second incident followed on June 4 outside Indiana Government Center North. Police say Harney touched a state employee's right foot and asked her, “Who does your pedicures?” Surveillance video from that encounter allegedly showed him running his fingers from the woman's heel up to her ankle as she walked toward a downtown Five Guys; the report notes the woman ran into a government building entrance to escape him.
A Third Woman Followed Into a Restricted Stairwell
The pattern escalated on Aug. 13, when a female Indiana Department of Health employee was allegedly sexually battered in the Washington Street Parking Garage. After touching her right foot, Harney allegedly followed her into a restricted-access stairwell, at one point asking her, “Why are you walking so fast?” Police detectives reviewing surveillance footage from all three locations determined they were dealing with the same suspect.
The break in the case came on Sept. 10, when Capitol Police officers detained Harney near Monument Circle after spotting him wearing the same shoes visible in the surveillance footage from the earlier incidents, as reported by FOX59 News. GPS monitoring data tied to Harney reportedly placed him in the exact areas where all three battery incidents occurred.
Registered Predator Was Under GPS Monitoring
Records show Harney is documented as a sexually violent predator in Indiana and had previously served 23 years in prison for sexual battery. He was released from Indiana Department of Correction custody under GPS monitoring earlier in 2026, as noted by FOX59 News.
During a police interview on Sept. 11, Harney reportedly admitted he was the individual captured on video in all three incidents and acknowledged touching all three women's feet. Court documents say he told investigators he touched the women's feet to satisfy his sexual needs, and that women's feet are the most sexually arousing part of the female anatomy for him. He also reportedly said he needed more treatment to control his sexual desires.
Seven Counts Filed, Bond Set at $5,000
Court documents filed in Marion County on Sept. 17 charged Harney with seven counts: three Level 6 felony counts of sexual battery, three Class B misdemeanor counts of battery, and one Class A misdemeanor count of public voyeurism without consent, per a report from FOX59 News. Marion Superior Court 17 held an initial hearing in the case, where Judge Andrew Borland set Harney's bond at $5,000 cash.
Harney's next court appearance, a status of counsel hearing, is scheduled for Oct. 6 in Marion Superior Court 17. The case remains active as it moves through the court system.
