Jury unable to reach verdicts in Wayne County molesting trial

RICHMOND, Ind. — A Wayne Superior Court 1 jury in recent days was unable to reach unanimous verdicts in the case of a Connersville man charged with four counts of child molesting.

Judge Charles Todd Jr. declared a mistrial in the case of 39-year-old Randy E. Oliver.

A new trial date has not yet been set.

Oliver was charged in April 2023 with two Class A felonies, each carrying up to 50 years in prison, and two Level 1 felonies with maximum 40-year sentences.

Details of the allegations against Oliver are not available. A probable cause affidavit and charging documents remain sealed from public view.

A May 2 hearing has been set on Oliver's request for a bond reduction. He has been held in the Wayne County Jail under a $35,000 bond since May 8, 2023.

In a motion, defense attorney Lisa Rosenberger said her client would stay at his mother's home in Connersville if released.

In other court news:

Burglary charge: A Richmond man has been accused of breaking into a garage along Southwest Fourth Street.

Christopher Michael Cones, 50, is charged with burglary, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison, and unlawful possession of a syringe, a Level 6 felony with a maximum 30-month sentence.

Richmond police said they apprehended Cones on April 23 after observing him pushing a green trash can across the Main Street Bridge. The trash can belongs to the Richmond Sanitary District, police said.

The trash can contained a leaf blower and several tools that had been removed from the garage, police said.

The Richmond man tried to persuade officers he had found the tools in an alley. He was being held in the Wayne County Jail under a $10,000 bond.

According to court records, Cones was convicted of rape in Oklahoma in 1996. In Wayne County he has been convicted of crimes including failure to register as a sex or violent offender, battery, theft and driving while intoxicated.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Jury can't reach verdicts in Wayne County molesting case