Mishawaka man arrested for recording himself assaulting an unconscious minor

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Mishawaka Police have arrested 22-year-old Jonathan Neubecker on felony counts of Child Exploitation, Sexual Battery, Possession of Child Pornography, and Obstruction of Justice stemming from an incident where police say he exposed and fondled a minor's breast and genitals while she slept, and he recorded video of the assault on his cell phone.  

According to court documents, the victim's father reported the assault on Jan. 16 of this year after being told that video of the assault of his daughter exists.

Authorities say Neubecker was a friend of the victim's family and that he lived with them for a year between April 2022 and June 2023. The incident allegedly occurred March 22, 2023.

A witness interviewed by police said Neubecker showed him the video on his cell phone "as though he was bragging about what occurred," court documents state.

The victim was 16 years old at the time of the assault.

On Feb. 2 of this year, the St. Joseph County Special Victims Unit interview Neubecker where he admitted to taking at least three videos that night. He also admitted to destroying the videos before being interviewed because he knew they were incriminating. 

The victim reported a time, around May of 2023, when she woke up and saw Neubecker sitting by her bed staring at her and that when she woke up and saw him, he left the bedroom.

"Neubecker stated that he believed that [the victim] was asleep the entire time and would not have consented to him touching her," court documents state. "Neubecker stated that the night that [the victim] woke up to seeing him in her bedroom was not the same night that he took the videos."

He went on to tell authorities that he "just sat watched [the victim] while she slept because it 'relaxed' him."