Man says addiction to porn drove him to masturbate in presence of kids
Police say a Bloomington man charged with masturbating in the presence of autistic children he was supervising claims his behavior was driven by his addiction to pornography.
He said no children were touched and that he didn't think the non-verbal boys he was in charge of were aware of what he was doing, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Monroe Circuit Court.
He said there was another adult in the room on several occasions, and that he didn't think they noticed either.
Joshua M. Moore, 35, has been charged with a felony count of performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor and a misdemeanor count of public indecency.
He was arrested Sept. 30, released on $2,500 bond and waived his initial court hearing.
The affidavit filed by Bloomington Police Department Detective Kevin Frank said Moore worked from July 2022 until August of this year as a licensed behavioral therapist at Hopebridge Autism Therapy Center at 450 S. Landmark Ave. in Bloomington.
He oversaw boys aged 4 to 8, most of them non-verbal, sometimes working with them one-on-one with behavior therapies.
Moore's wife reported to police on Aug. 29 that her husband of two years had admitted watching pornography on his phone and masturbating in a corner of a classroom where he was overseeing children.
She told an officer Moore had spent a week in a hospital for psychiatric treatment for issues that included the porn addiction.
When police confronted Moore, he admitted engaging in the behavior at least five times.
A letter to parents from Hopebridge's corporate office in Indianapolis informs them of the investigation and the arrest of a "former employee" for sexual misconduct. "We are heartbroken as we struggle to understand any truth to these charges."
The letter offers support for families and says Hopebridge seeks "to ensure the safety of our children."
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Man charged with masturbating while supervising children
