Jasper man sentenced in child molestation case

Last week, the Dubois County Circuit Court sentenced a Jasper man to up to 40 years in prison for two counts felony counts of child molestation and a misdemeanor count of public voyeurism.

Douglas L. Leistner, 36, of 817 Margaret Dr., was arrested November 4, 2016, after an investigation by the Jasper Police Department into allegations of child molesting and voyeurism. Those incidents had occurred between May 9, 2015, and Sept. 28 of that same year.

Leistner was originally charged with two Level 1 felony counts of child molestation, three Level 6 felony counts of voyeurism and a misdemeanor count of public voyeurism. The child molestation involved a child under the age of 14 at the time and the additional misdemeanor count was due to Leistner recording the acts.

The three counts of voyeurism stemmed from investigators discovering Leistner had allegedly used hidden cameras to record several women in various states of nudity without their knowledge.

A jury found Leistner guilty of the three counts on Wednesday, October 25.

Leistner was sentenced to 40 years to be served in the Indiana Department of Corrections for each of the child molesting counts and 365 days for the misdemeanor public voyeurism count. The three voyeurism charges were dropped by the state which they had planned on trying separately.

Leistner will serve his sentences concurrently and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He was credited for time served from December 4, 2016 to December 15, 2017.

Leistner stated he planned on appealing and requested the court appoint him council. The court appointed Ripstra Law Office.