GREENFIELD — They called him Uncle Rhino, and they were confused, scared and ashamed when he hurt them, she told the jury.
This was a man who helped take care of them. A man who their family members considered a friend. And their trust in him was violated.
Hancock County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Marie Castetter made those remarks Tuesday afternoon as the state began presenting evidence in its case against 32-year-old Ryan Dudley of Wilkinson, who faces three felony counts of child molesting.
Two sisters — the daughters of a friend of Dudley’s — came forward last year to tell police that Dudley had forced them to engage in sexual acts, according to court documents. The man faces three felony counts.
Dudley denies the allegations, and he will appear in Hancock Circuit Court this week to stand trial before a jury of 12 Hancock County residents.
Proceedings began Tuesday, with prosecutors calling the first of their witnesses, including the girls’ parents, who told the jury what brought about the girls’ disclosure and actions they took immediately afterward to inform the police.
The allegations date back to October 2016, records show.
The girls’ father told jurors he sometimes relied on Dudley as a last-minute babysitter, if a relative suddenly wasn’t available to watch the children. The man estimated Dudley was left alone with the girls fewer than five times, he testified.
But it was on those occasions that Dudley harmed the girls, the children told investigators, according to court documents.
An Indiana Department of Child Services child forensic interviewer, who specializes in dealing with young victims of sexual assault, met with both children separately, court documents state.
The girls were reserved during the interview, but both said Dudley abused them when they were alone with him, court documents state. He’d told them not to tell, they said, according to investigators.
The girls’ mother and stepfather told jurors they were eating dinner with the children one night in March 2017. At some point during the conversation, one of the children said the word “sex.” The utterance sent the older of the two victims running from the table in tears, according to testimony.
The girls’ mother said it took some time to calm her daughter down. Eventually, the girl and her sister disclosed the abuse, saying Dudley was the one who harmed them, according to testimony.
As his wife tried to comfort the children, the girls’ stepfather drove to their father’s home to confront the man about Dudley. While together, they called the police and came up with a plan to ensure the girls never saw or were left alone with Dudley ever again, according to testimony.
Castetter told the jury in her opening statement Tuesday that both girls would testify as part of the proceedings. They’ll be nervous, she told them; scared to talk in front of strangers about what happened.
Other state witnesses, Castetter said, will include: the Greenfield Police Department detective who led the investigation; scientists from the Indiana State Police Crime Lab who examined the girls’ clothing for DNA evidence; and the nurse who performed the sexual assault examination, commonly referred to as a rape kit, on both children.
While briefly addressing jurors Tuesday afternoon, Dudley’s attorney, Sean Row of New Castle, admitted this was an emotional case; but he asked jurors to keep an open mind until the very end and give his client a chance to defend himself.
“Don’t get overwhelmed with the emotional aspects of the case before deciding it,” he said, before settling down in a seat next to his client to listen as prosecutors presented evidence.
Dudley faces two Level 4 felony counts of child molesting and one Level 3 felony count of child molesting.
The trial will continue at 8 a.m. today in Hancock Circuit Court. All proceedings are open to the public.