Hendricks County Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison in Child Molesting Case

 Hendricks County, IN — A Hendricks County man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of Level 4 felony child molesting.

Douglas Robert Russo was arrested in 2024 and originally faced three counts of child molesting. The charges included one Level 1 felony and two Level 4 felonies.

The case was filed in Hendricks Superior Court 4 in November 2024. Russo appeared for his initial hearing several days later, where his bond was set at $40,000 cash and a no contact order was issued.

The case continued through the court system for more than a year, with the scheduled jury trial being moved several times. A jury trial was eventually set for July 21, 2026.

On July 17, a plea agreement was filed and the jury trial was canceled. Russo pleaded guilty on July 20 to two Level 4 felony counts of child molesting. The court established a factual basis for both counts and scheduled sentencing for August 31.

Russo appeared in Hendricks Superior Court on August 31 for sentencing.

The court sentenced Russo to 12 years in prison, followed by 8 years of probation. The two sentences will run consecutively. The original Level 1 felony charge was dismissed.

The court also ordered that the no contact order remain in effect, with special sex offender conditions applying. Russo was remanded to the custody of the Hendricks County Sheriff following sentencing.