South Bend man arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A South Bend man is in custody after the mother of a 14-year-old girl found videos of the 34-year-old kissing her daughter on a social media platform. 

Mark O'Banion was released from jail earlier this month and told police he had been bouncing from one hotel to another since he has been out. It is unclear who O'Banion came to be in contact with the juvenile, who was reported as a runaway, but he says the two met up at his hotel room a few times. 

When interviewed by police, O'Banion admitted to knowing the girl was 14 years old and having feelings for her but claimed they had not done anything sexual at all. 

In the videos, the two can be seen kissing in the hotel's workout room, and once officers showed the videos to O'Banion, his story changed.

"I presented the first video of evidence to O'Banion showing him with his arms around Victim 1 kissing her. O'Banion advised me that she kissed him in the video," authorities said. "I then showed O'Banion the second video of evidence showing him and Victim 1 kissing in depth and asked him to explain the second video. After interviewing O'Banion further he admitted he was kissing Victim 1 and that was him in both videos with Victim 1."

He told police that the juvenile victim had feelings for him and that he didn't realize he had feelings for her too until her got out of jail. 

"O'Banion continued to tell me that he does not believe what he did was wrong, illegal, or immoral," authorities said. "O'Banion expressed this standpoint to me more than once."

O'Banion claims the last time he saw the juvenile, who is still missing, was the morning of July 10 when the two walked to a bus stop near the motel. He says the juvenile got on the bus with him and was dropped of at the corner of Portage and Elwood.

"O'Banion stated he believed Victim 1 was going home because she told him she needed to check in," authorities said. "At this time Victim 1 has not been located and O'Banion continues to tell police he does not know where she is."

He was arrested and charged with felony Sexual Misconduct with a Minor. He is being held at the St. Jospeh County Jail on a $10,000 bond.