Parents searching for man who allegedly abused daughter
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The search is on for a man who allegedly inappropriately touched his neighbor’s 12-year-old daughter.
The man, 48-year-old Jeffery Logan, is now being charged with Battery on a Person Less than 14 Years Old and Criminal Confinement.
With the charges coming out on Friday—along with a warrant for his arrest—the parents of that young girl are sitting down only with ABC 57 News to talk about their search for justice.
Happy kids are goofing off in the McCoy home Wednesday, playing video games and violin.
So, looking at them, you probably wouldn’t have any idea that a little over a month ago, three of them had quite a scare.
“Our kids were over visiting grandpa, which is Bill, which kind of adopted our kids,” says the kids’ father, Cecil McCoy.
He says they hung out on ‘Grandpa Bill’s’ front porch every day.
“On the 7th, my daughters came home to me. I just got home from work…she said Jeff tried to drag her in the house, and when he got her in the house, kissing on her, squeezing her and he wouldn’t let go of her, and then she finally got free because of the other two girls and she ran home,” he said.
The then 12-year-old ran home and straight to the shower, she says to wash off the slobber, while Cecil McCoy tried to comfort his 11 and 5-year-old daughters.
They say they witnessed 48-year-old Jeffery Logan, kissing and licking their sister.
“I was going to go cut him,” said McCoy.
“I said no let’s call the cops…He’s not worth losing our freedom and our kids for him. He’s worthless,” said the kids’ mother, Janelle Inghels.
“They arrested him on possession of a throwing star,” said her husband.
They say he was out of jail later that night.
“Sat and stared at my daughter’s window on the porch all night just drinking beer,” said Cecil.
“They don’t want to sleep in their rooms now alone…It was right across the street,” said Janelle, about 36 steps from lawn to lawn.
“Our five year old won’t go to school. She’s afraid Jeff’s going to come steal her,” said Cecil.
“The world’s sick already, but now that close, it makes you a lot more not comfortable with a lot of people now. Trust no one,” said his wife.
They say as long as Logan is not behind bars, they will be searching.
“The next kid might not have other kids to help get her away and run for help,” said Janelle.
“I’m going to find him. I’m going to find him, and I’m going to call the cops and follow him till they get him,” said McCoy.
The girls’ father said he confronted Logan the day after the incident allegedly happened, and he says he admitted to touching his daughter, but said it was a case of mistaken identity.
Since the charges were filed Friday and the warrant issued, however, police have been unable to locate Logan to question him.
The parents are asking anyone with information to come forward.
The prosecutor’s office wants to remind everyone that a person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.