Staff Report

Yeri Lucas Gomez

WARSAW — A Warsaw man was recently arrested after allegedly molesting a child on two occasions.

Yeri Lucas Gomez, 22, 340 E. Levi Lee Road 203, Warsaw, is charged with two counts of child molesting, both level 1 felonies.

On Jan. 16, a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s officer responded to a report of an unwanted person at a residence. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a woman who said she came home to find a man, later identified as Gomez, in her child’s bedroom.

Court documents state that when the woman came home, she saw her child was partially naked. Gomez pushed the woman toward a wall and ran from the residence. The child’s family members followed Gomez to a residence and provided a physical description of Gomez to the officer.

On Jan. 26, Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center representatives conducted an interview with the child. During the interview, the child described engaging in inappropriate conduct with Gomez. The child told representatives that they began talking with Gomez in August 2020 and also had face-to-face conversations about their age with Gomez.

The child also described an incident that occurred during December 2020 when the child and Gomez engaged in inappropriate conduct while at Gomez’s home.

On Jan. 29, officers spoke with Gomez about the incidents. Gomez admitted to engaging in inappropriate conduct with the child in December 2020 and on Jan. 16. While being taken to the Kosciusko County Jail, Gomez made statements about leaving the country and traveling to Guatemala.

Gomez was booked in KCJ on Jan. 29, with a $50,500 surety and cash bond.