Man accused of heinous sex crimes against children spanning 6 years

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Indiana -- A Saint Joseph County man is behind bars after being accused of committing grotesque sex crimes against children for years.

Charles Dean Sells, Jr. will likely be sitting in jail until his next court date.

There are a total of 13 crimes he is being charged with.

All of them are felonies.

Charles Sells, Jr. was charged last Friday for sex crimes police say he committed against multiple children at several different homes in Saint Joseph County.

Court documents say Sells, Jr. allegedly committed these crimes in between 2011 and 2016.

Four of his victims, all of which were under 13-years-old, were interviewed by the Department of Children Services.

Documents reveal that some of the children were relatives of Sells, Jr.

Another victim, a neighbor, told officials Sells, Jr. preyed on her while she was asleep.

Among the 13 charges, 2 of them are Class A felonies, which could land Sells, Jr. in prison for up to 50 years per count if he's convicted.

If Sells, Jr. is convicted on all 13 counts, he could face up to 323.5 years in prison.

A preliminary plea of "not guilty" was entered by the judge in court Wednesday afternoon.

The bond was set at $50,000 dollars cash.

Charles Sells, Jr. is due back in court on September 11.

The charges he is accused of are listed below.

• Charges against Charles Sells, Jr.
  • 2 counts of child molesting (Class A felony)
  • 4 counts of child molesting (Level 1 felony)
  • 2 counts of child molesting (Level 4 felony)
  • 2 counts of vicarious sexual gratification (Level 3 felony)
  • 3 counts of performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor (Level 6 felony)