Austin man charged with child molestation

Scott County – During the evening hours of Tuesday, August 4, 2020, officers from the Austin Police Department arrested an Austin, Indiana man on a warrant for Child Molestation following an Indiana State Police investigation.

Detective Josh Banet launched an investigation in June of 2020 after he was contacted by the Indiana Department of Child Services and the Austin Police Department and learned of possible inappropriate or illegal conduct involving a minor.  During the investigation, Banet gained probable cause to believe sexual conduct occurred between Richard Girardot, 54, and a child on two separate occasions in May and June of 2020.  The alleged incidents occurred at two separate locations in Austin, Indiana.   At the conclusion of the investigation, Detective Banet requested an arrest warrant for Richard Girardot on two counts of Child Molestation with a Child under Fourteen, a Level Four Felony.  On Tuesday evening, officers from the Austin Police Department arrested Girardot at his residence.

After his arrest, Richard Girardot was transported and remanded into the custody of the Scott County Jail without incident.

Detective Banet was assisted by case workers with the Indiana Department of Child Services and officer Shiloh Hurt from the Austin Police Department.