Police: Evansville man drugged child with Ambien before molesting her

EVANSVILLE – Weeks after a young victim accused an Evansville man of drugging and molesting her, the man is now facing multiple sex crime charges and is being held at the Vanderburgh County jail on a $100,000 cash bond.

Identified in court records as Randall Roger Ryan II, the man allegedly provided tan, oval-shaped pills to a 12-year-old girl, ostensibly to help them sleep –– a practice he initiated sometime during the summer of 2023.

But according to the Evansville Police Department, that pill turned out to be a 10-milligram dose of Ambien, a powerful sedative medication used to treat insomnia in adults. Ryan is alleged to have leveraged the drug's sedative properties to molest the victim over a span of weeks.

Public records show Ryan was booked at the Vanderburgh County jail on a warrant Monday afternoon. The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office formally charged Ryan on Jan. 24 with two felony counts:

• Child molesting–fondling or touching a child under the age of 14 facilitated by giving the child a drug, a Level 2 felony

• Child molesting-fondling or touching a child under the age of 14, a Level 4 felony

Ryan's arrest comes after the victim provided testimony to trained investigators at Holly's House, an Evansville-based victim advocacy organization.

"The victim stated that Randy would use this medication to take advantage of her," an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case states. "She stated that the medication wouldn't knock her out completely but would make her feel groggy to the point she could barely function."

The alleged molestation primarily occurred on weekends, and the victim estimated Ryan had molested her at least six times, according to the EPD.

On Jan. 17, Detective Zachary Oxford brought Ryan in for questioning.

"I asked Randy if he would tell me what he knew," Oxford wrote in a sworn affidavit. "He stated that on December 22, the victim told [a witness] that he had touched her inappropriately over the past few months. Randy stated that the victim said this happened when he would massage her."

According to the detective, Ryan claimed to have known the victim levied allegations against him, specifically that she told witnesses and investigators he provided her with powerful sedatives prior to the alleged abuse.

"Randy specifically told me that he didn't have any prescriptions strong enough to knock somebody out," Oxford wrote. "He stated the strongest thing he gave the victim was Benadryl."

Pharmacy records contradict Ryan's account to the police, court documents show.

EPD detectives confirmed that Ryan had active prescriptions for Ambien, which he twice filled at a pharmacy on Evansville's North Side between Aug. 3 and Oct. 28. The prescription covered a 10-milligram dose, according to the police.

When detective Oxford contacted Peyton Manning Children's Hospital, a pediatrician there said it would be "incredibly rare" for a child to take Ambien "due to its strength," Oxford later wrote.

The pediatrician reportedly added that it would be "almost unheard of" for a young girl to take a legally prescribed 10-milligram dose of Ambien. The drug can trigger memory loss, cause hallucinations, elicit euphoria and impair judgment, according to its official prescribing information.

During his police interview, Ryan reportedly denied the victim's allegations but also stated, according to Oxford, that he did not "think she's making this up."

According to a sworn affidavit, Oxford confronted Ryan during this interview and gave the man an off-ramp in an attempt to elicit a potential confession: Could any sort of inappropriate touching on his part have been accidental?

"Randy stated, 'That may have happened once or twice,'" Oxford wrote, recounting Ryan's reaction to the possibility that this could have been an accident. "He then reiterated again that he doesn't believe the victim is lying."

When asked "point blank" if he would take a polygraph test, Oxford wrote that Ryan declined, citing "his high blood pressure" and the tests' inadmissibility in court.

According to public records, Ryan is scheduled to appear before Vanderburgh County Circuit Court Judge Robert J. Pigman on Feb. 28. He has pleaded not guilty and was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Randall Ryan II of Evansville accused of multiple sex crimes