By SYDNEY KENT
A man from Marion is facing three separate cases of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 5 felony, in three counties throughout the state. One case was filed in Wells County earlier this year.
Donell Julian Dixon, 22, was charged in the Wells County case in March, according to a probable cause affidavit. A 15-year-old girl told a Child First Interviewer she had “blah blah blah”, later clarified as consensual sex, with Dixon on multiple occasions in June and July of last year. She reported that she eventually stopped contacting Dixon after she realized she made a “bad choice.”
A friend of the victim reported that Dixon would pick the pair up in his Jeep and drive to various locations in Bluffton. Dixon would reportedly perform sexual acts in the vehicle with the victim in front of her friend, who was also 15-years-old.
Police were able to identify Dixon due to the fact that he listed his child’s last name on his Instagram account. The name was cross-referenced in the Department of Child Services database by a Family Case Manager, which then revealed Dixon as the father.
The state of Indiana took issue with the possibility of reinstating Dixon’s bond in the matter during his bail review hearing last week in the Wells Circuit Court. The court ultimately decided to reinstate Dixon’s bond at an elevated amount due to the cases throughout the state.
The charge dates for the additional two cases, or the dates the crimes were committed, were in June and July of 2022. In both cases, the victim was 15 years of age and began communication with Dixon through Snapchat.
In February of 2022, the Grant County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a domestic battery that reportedly occurred between Dixon and his girlfriend. The woman, identified as Lindsey A. Wampner, reported that the two were “play fighting” while Dixon held their child. Wampner told police things got out of hand and she hit Dixon back before taking the child away.
Dixon told police Wampner believed he was messaging other women and slapped him on the arm, to which he responded by going to hold their child. Dixon reported that Wampner continued to slap him and ordered him to give her their baby. He then admitted that he punched her in the right arm and she took the child to the next room. Both Wampner and Dixon were charged with domestic battery in the presence of a child, a Level 6 felony. All cases are currently pending.
Dixon is scheduled for a pretrial conference in the Wells County case at 1 p.m. Feb. 21 in the Wells Circuit Court.
sydney@news-banner.com
