Goshen man claims ex 'put a spell on him' to look into people's windows

ABC 57

GOSHEN, Ind. -- A probable cause affidavit obtained from the Goshen City Court reveals 38-year-old Hector Castaneda Ledesma, of Goshen, had his initial court hearing Wednesday morning regarding the charges of Voyeurism, a Level 6 Felony, and Criminal Mischief, a Misdemeanor.

The charges stem from incidents that occurred from November 2023 through September 2024.

The Goshen Police Department reports residents of Roxbury Park Mobile Home Park reported someone looking into their bedroom windows on multiple occasions.

On Nov. 2, 2023, a resident in the 100 block of Richmond Court reported a man was standing outside her window while she was laying on her bed. The resident said she couldn't identify the man, but that it wasn't the first time a man had been observed looking into bedroom and bathroom windows. The previous incents weren't reported to police, but other residents of the home corroborated the incidents.

On May 16, 2024, another resident at the first home went outside to smoke just after 4 a.m. when he heard a noise on the other side of the house. He investigated the noise and told police he saw a man looking into his bedroom, which he shares with his girlfriend.

The man and his girlfriend tackled the suspect, identified as Ledesma, and held him down until police arrived. Ledesma was then arrested. The man told police that the week prior, while he and his girlfriend were having sex, they noticed a man looking into their window, but didn't report it at the time.

On Sept. 11, 2024, a resident in the 300 block of Post Road reported the night prior she was in her room wearing only her bra when she saw a white or Hispanic man standing outside her window. She then screamed and ran outside found the man had left. Documents state handprints were found on the window.

Police say the handprints indicated the man was attempting to open the window. Impressions from the handprints were collected and sent to the Indiana State Police Laboratory. The Lab determined four impressions were from Ledesma.

"A Certificate of Analysis from the Indiana State Police Laboratory shows two of the six latent prints analyzed were inclusive. The report says if an identification result is made, 'That the likelihood the impression was made by another source is so remote that it is considered as a practical impossibility.'"

Ledesma was placed on probation for the conviction of Criminal Mischief for damaging a window screen at the home on Richmond Court. He was then stopped outside his probation officer's office on Feb. 12 and asked if he'd agree to be interviewed since he was accused in multiple voyeurism cases. He agreed to speak and was read his rights.

The PCA states, "Hector admitted to previously looking into people's windows, but he doesn't want to do that anymore. Hector believed an ex-girlfriend put a spell on him 7 or 8 months ago after he rejected the ex. Hector said the ex-girlfriend's name is Lucy Fer. He reported Lucy is also known as Celicia Rodriguez. Hector claimed after the rejection, Hector started having an urge to look into other people's windows. He said he would start trembling, and his hands would sweat if he didn't fulfill this urge."

Ledesma also admitted to police that he removed the screen of one or two windows to see into the house better. He then admitted to looking into the homes on Richmond Court and Post Road.

He currently has no other scheduled court dates.

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