FRANKLIN COUNTY, Indiana – A Brookville man charged with molesting three teenage girls appears to have fled before his trial, according to Franklin County prosecutors.
Jesse Meckley was arrested in September 2020. His trial was delayed due to the pandemic, and now it’s on hold again after prosecutors say he stopped showing up to court.
The trial was supposed to begin this week.
“Very upset,” said a Brookville woman who says Meckley molested her daughter. “I’m very mad. Just knowing he’s out there is really scary.”
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, says the incident involving her daughter happened in 2018.
“I knew right away something happened,” she said. “It’s that mother instinct. I just knew.”
The woman says her daughter now has sleep problems and nightmares because of what happened.
“You can see where she was sweet and innocent to where she just changed overnight,” she said.
The woman explains she’s seen Meckley in restaurants and walking around. “We can’t do anything,” she said.
Now Meckley appears to have fled, and authorities have put out a warrant for his arrest.
The prosecutor on the case says anyone with information on Meckley’s whereabouts should contact their local authorities immediately.
He can be arrested anywhere in the country because he is a wanted fugitive.
Authorities say he is known to visit Union City and Richmond as well as Cambridge, Ohio.
“It’s like he’s taunting her… ‘Look I’m back out,’” the woman said.
The woman is doubly frustrated because she says her daughter is finally ready to testify against Meckley after months of therapy.
“Because I think these girls deserve that moment to face him,” she said.
Prosecutors and the victim’s mother hope someone will come forward and turn Meckley in.
“I’m not going to stop,” she said. “I don’t know if he thinks I’m the mom that would just give up… But until my last breath, I won’t stop.”
