Ex-Indiana minister sentenced to five years for child molestation

MARTINSVILLE — A Morgan County man and former practicing minister was ordered to serve five years in jail for the crime of child molestation.

William Bruce McDaniel, 74, was sentenced Monday in Morgan County Superior Court II. Under the terms of his plea agreement, he will be required to serve five years probation and register as a sex offender in the state of Indiana. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim for the next 10 years.

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The Morgan County Sheriff's Office filed charges against McDaniel in September 2020 alleging he molested a young girl at his South Vickery home between 2013 and 2017. Authorities learned of McDaniel's actions after a family member came forward to report the incident.

The victim told authorities that McDaniel's wife, Peggy, walked in on them while McDaniel was touching her. She was later charged and sentenced to 60 days in jail for failing to report the incident to authorities.

This was the second time McDaniel had to answer to charges of child molestation. He was previously charged in June 2011 with molesting a girl under the age of six but was found not guilty in a jury trial the following year.

Contact reporter Peter Blanchard at 765-346-2942 or pblanchard@reporter-times.com. Follow him on Twitter @peterlblanchard.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Former Indiana minister sentenced in child molestation case