20th child claims she was abused by accused molester Michael Begin

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Another child claims she was molested by a southern Indiana man.

Clark County prosecutor Jeremy Mull said this is the 20th child to accuse Michael Begin of abuse.

"This is a new victim who did report abuse to the police, and that was thoroughly investigated, and did result in the filing of this new count," Mull told reporters.

Mull said the girl was five or six years old, when the abuse occurred at the Clark County YMCA, where Begin worked, between June 2016 and July 2017. He said the latest victim came forward after seeing news reports of the case.

"We have continually and regularly discovered new victims who saw something on television and did report that to the Jeffersonville Police Department. That has been a consistent event throughout the course of this case, and it would not surprise me if we discovered additional victims," said Mull.

Begin’s attorney, Jennifer Culotta, entered a not guilty plea on the new charge.

The trial is set for Feb. 5, for now. Culotta said she is working on a plea agreement.

"We are going to make a decision on what is our next step. Try to resolve this matter as justly as possible and as quickly as possible. None of us wants to drag this on," she said.

Mull said he is open to a deal to spare alleged victims the trauma of a trial. But he says any possible deal must include a long sentence for Begin.

"You simply can't molest this number of children as he has allegedly done, and not expect to be sentenced to prison for a very long time," said Mull. "That's what I expect, that's what the community expects, that's what the victims expect."

If the case does go to trial, a judge must decide whether to hold a single trial for all charges or separate trials for each.

Prosecutors believe Begin started molesting children when he was a Jeffersonville High School student, while working at the YMCA's child care program.

Begin was part of a cadet teaching program at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. That's where the first allegations surfaced from young girls in October 2017. His alleged victims range in age from three to seven years old.

There are now 20 victims and 27 counts.

Several lawsuits have also been filed against Begin, his parents, the YMCA and the Greater Clark County Schools in connection with the criminal case.

Begin remains in the Clark Co. Jail on a $100,000 bond.