Judge halves 70-year sentence for EC child molester

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Updated: February 27, 2012 9:50AM

Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Ross Boswell resentenced a former East Chicago man convicted of molesting a 12-year-old girl to half of the 70-year sentence she imposed last week.

Boswell said she made an error during the sentencing hearing for William LaShun Caples, 31, on Jan. 18 when she imposed two 35-year sentences and ordered them to be served consecutively.

Boswell said she intended to impose concurrent sentences. In addition, Boswell said she failed to sentence Caples on one of the three child molesting charges. On that charge, she imposed a 20-year sentence.

Caples was convicted in absentia of three counts of child molesting on Oct. 13 stemming from crimes in the fall of 2007 in East Chicago. Each of the charges is punishable by a 20- to 50-year sentence.

Deputy prosecutor Judy Massa objected to the hearing going forward on Wednesday. The case was listed on the online docket for Thursday, and Massa said the girl’s parents who testified at the sentencing hearing last week had made arrangements with their employers to be present.

“Please let them know I apologize for the inconvenience,” Boswell said. The judge said the matter “has lingered too long. I need to correct the (sentencing) order.”

The girl’s mother said the judge’s ruling “is like a slap in the face.”

“We finally thought we had justice, then to turn around and give him the 35 (years) and he’ll do 171/2, it’s not right. Now I see why people take justice into their own hands,” the mother said. The girl’s parents said they would like to appeal but don’t know if they have any legal options.

In Indiana, inmates with good behavior receive day-for-day credit against their sentence.

Boswell said her notes and her intention all along was to sentence Caples concurrently. “Mr. Caples, I’m sorry I misspoke. I know that produced a lot of stress for you. This is a fair sentence. The 70 years, in my opinion, was not a fair sentence,” Boswell said.

Two of the charges are that Caples performed different sex acts with the girl, who ended up becoming pregnant and underwent an abortion.