Indiana State Police arrested a 32-year-old Columbus man Thursday morning on a warrant for one count of Level 6 felony sexual battery, following an investigation into a reported incident at a Decatur County property in August. Brian M. Vaillancourt was taken into custody and transported to the Decatur County Jail to await an initial court appearance.
The charge against Vaillancourt was filed Wednesday in Decatur Superior Court, according to online court records cited by The Republic. The investigation began after a victim reported being battered at a Decatur County property in August, the paper reported. From there, the case was presented to the Decatur County Prosecutor's Office for review, and a warrant was issued for Vaillancourt's arrest as a result.
Arrest Made at Columbus Home
Officers from the Columbus Police Department assisted Indiana State Police in taking Vaillancourt into custody, the station's report notes. 812NOW reported that the arrest took place at Vaillancourt's Columbus home Thursday morning. That outlet similarly described the underlying allegation as a person claiming to have been sexually battered at a Decatur County property in August, and confirmed that the case's path through the Decatur County Prosecutors Office led to the warrant for Vaillancourt.
Vaillancourt was incarcerated pending his initial court appearance. As The Republic noted in its report, criminal charges are merely accusations, and Vaillancourt has not been found guilty of any crime.
Conflicting Sentencing Details
Reporting from Fox 59 indicated that Vaillancourt could face up to two years in prison if convicted. However, an excerpt from the Indiana Code published by the Indiana General Assembly describes the sentencing range for a Level 6 felony differently, setting a fixed term of between six months and two and one-half years, with an advisory sentence of one year. The two figures do not match, and nothing in the available reporting resolves which range applies to this particular case.
No court disposition, hearing date, or further developments in the case have been reported. Vaillancourt's initial appearance before a Decatur County judge had not yet taken place as of the most recent reporting.
