Winchester man awaiting trial for murder now facing molesting, child porn charges
WINCHESTER, Ind. — A Winchester man awaiting trial on a murder charge faces 30 additional counts stemming from allegations of child sexual abuse and production of child pornography.
The murder charge against 26-year-old Larry J. Planck III was filed April 3, a day after he allegedly shot a 36-year-old woman who had been his girlfriend, Isabel Hernandez, at a home along East Short Street.
Hernandez, shot in the chest, was later pronounced dead at a Fort Wayne hospital.
Last Thursday in a pair of Randolph Circuit Court cases, Planck was charged with 30 additional crimes.
More: Winchester man charged with murder in woman's shooting death
In one of those cases, he is charged with two counts each of attempted child molesting and child solicitation and single counts of sexual battery and attempted sexual misconduct with a minor.
The most serious of those charges, the attempting molesting counts, are Level 4 felonies carrying up to 12 years in prison.
According to an affidavit filed by Randolph County Prosecutor David Daly's office, state police investigating the Hernandez homicide obtained data from cell phones that indicated Planck had repeatedly sexually abused and solicited a girl in her early teens, at one point offering the juvenile $1,000 if she would have sex with him.
In the other case filed last week, Planck is charged with two counts of child sexual trafficking, six counts of child exploitation and 16 counts of possession of child pornography.
The affidavit in that case referred to photos and videos of another teenager, "either nude and/or engaged in various sexual acts with Planck," found on the Winchester man's cell phone.
That document contained grim, detailed accounts of what was seen in those photos and videos.
It indicates some of the images were taken while Planck and the teen were in Bonita Springs, Florida, in March, and in New York City last November.
The most serious of those charges, the two counts of promotion of child sexual trafficking, are Level 3 felonies with maximum 16-year sentences.
The six counts of child exploitation, and three of the possession of child pornography charges, are Level 5 felonies carrying up to six years in prison.
Planck's trial on the 30 counts filed last week has been set for Nov. 6.
His murder trial was most recently scheduled to begin July 31, but it was cancelled last week after one of the Winchester man's defense attorneys withdrew from the case.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Winchester man awaiting trial for murder now faces molesting, porn charges
