50-year Sentence for Indiana Man After WIFE FINDS CHILD MOLESTATION VIDEOS on His Phone
Court documents show that when a wife suspected her husband was cheating on her, she grabbed his phone to get proof.
What she allegedly discovered on the phone, however, was considerably more serious than infidelity. Now, her revelation has resulted in his being imprisoned for the remainder of his life.
Paul M. Soots, 42, is accused of 22 counts of child molestation, including many Level 1 felonies, the most serious criminal accusation in Indiana aside from murder. Court filings show that Hendricks County Sheriff’s deputies were summoned to Soots’ residence on March 22, 2023. When deputies came, Soots’ wife addressed them, revealing her stunning discovery.
Soots’ wife, who has since divorced him, said to police she suspected her husband of cheating on her, so she searched his phone for evidence. Court filings say that the phone had even more horrific videos.
Deputies reported checking the phone’s information and discovering photographs and video of Soots executing sex acts on a youngster.
Deputies allegedly confronted Soots, who was sleeping on the couch. He admitted he owned the phone, and deputies arrested him.
Soots was slated to stand trial on June 24. The trial was canceled, however, after Soot decided to enter a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of child molestation as a Level 1 felony and one count of child molestation as a Level 5 felony.
The plea agreement involves a 50-year jail term.
At a court hearing on Wednesday, a judge approved Soots’ plea agreement and 50-year sentence.
“Today, Mr. Soots accepted the State’s plea offer of 50 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections which given his age is effectively a life sentence,” prosecutor Loren Delp stated. In 2008, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was “cruel and unusual punishment” for child rapists. While this may be the law of the nation, and we as prosecutors are obligated to enforce it, we may respectfully disagree.”
In Indiana, a Level 1 felony carries a maximum prison sentence of 50 years.