Indiana Man Charged After Undercover Officer Posed as 13-Year-Old in Online Sting

James A. Raber was charged on May 29 in Randolph County Circuit Court with attempted child molestation and child solicitation, according to court documents.

The investigation began on the evening of May 8, when a deputy from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department created a fake Facebook profile posing as a 13-year-old girl named “Steph,” according to a probable cause affidavit.

In the initial conversation, the officer asked Raber to guess the girl’s age. When he guessed 15, the officer responded, “Nope, 13.” Authorities allege Raber continued the exchange and sent numerous sexually explicit messages in the days that followed.

According to the affidavit, Raber expressed a desire to meet in person and asked the girl to send photos. He also offered to help her travel to Florida, where she claimed she wanted to go, but only after engaging in sexual activity with him. Raber also described himself as “6’4”, 295 pounds, built like SpongeBob,” and made several explicit comments.

The affidavit states that Raber expressed jealousy over the possibility that the girl might be seeing another man, repeatedly asking if she was having sex with someone else. He allegedly arranged to meet her at a Village Pantry convenience store in Farmland, Indiana.

When Raber arrived at the location on May 29, he was met by officers from the Farmland Police Department and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department and was taken into custody without incident.

During questioning, Raber confirmed that he had been communicating with “Steph” and identified the Facebook account as his own. Authorities also verified that his vehicle matched the description he had provided in the messages.

Raber made an initial court appearance on Wednesday. He has a prior criminal history, including DWI convictions and traffic violations.

It is unclear whether Raber was previously under investigation or whether the undercover operation was part of a broader initiative to identify potential offenders through online decoy profiles.

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Raber remains in custody pending further legal proceedings. The case is being prosecuted by the Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office.

Authorities have not released additional details regarding the scope of the sting operation or whether further arrests are expected.