Hendricks County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Sexual Misconduct with a Minor

AVON, IN — A Hendricks County jury has found Zachary Stober guilty of sexual misconduct with a minor following a three-day trial. The level 4 felony conviction wrapped up last week when a judge handed down a 10-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections, which puts him just two years shy of the maximum penalty allowed for the charge.

The case brought forward a mountain of digital evidence showing a repetitive pattern of behavior. Investigators with the Avon Police Department discovered that Stober was actively using various social media platforms and phone messaging apps to seek out and groom young kids. In some of the instances uncovered by police, he was targeting victims who were only nine years old. For this specific conviction, court records show he used those online apps to set up a meeting with a local girl before bringing her back to his apartment complex over in Avon.

During the sentencing phase, the court focused heavily on the fact that Stober wasn't dealing with a one-time lapse in judgment. The judge pointed out that his actions showed he was actively operating as a predator, and the sheer number of children he targeted or tried to target justified pushing for an aggravated, longer sentence.

Hendricks County Prosecutor Loren Delp backed that up, stating that the decade-long prison stay directly reflects the predatory nature of the evidence. Delp issued a clear warning that the county will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone targeting minors, and anyone caught doing so can expect a lengthy stay in prison.

With the trial over, local officials are also using the details of the case to send an urgent reminder to area parents. Because messaging apps and social media remain the primary tools used by predators to sneak past supervision and get access to kids, authorities are urging families to stay highly vigilant, keep open lines of communication, and closely monitor what their kids are doing on their devices.