A Burns Harbor man is accused of committing multiple acts of sexual molestation with a female relative between the time she was 9 and 15, court documents show.
Joshua Barbarossa, 46, is charged with Level 3 felonies of rape and attempted rape, along with a Level 4 felony of child molesting and a Level 5 of sexual misconduct with a minor. One charge of child molesting is being filed under the old Level C classification, the equivalent of a Level 5 charge, because it occurred in 2014.
The female, who is now an adult, told a Northwest Indiana social service counselor about the abuse that occurred between 2010 and 2020, according to a probable cause statement filed in Porter Superior Court.
Tim Lucas, assistant Burns Harbor police chief, then interviewed the woman about the assaults that occurred at residences in the Valparaiso area and Burns Harbor.
The woman stated that she believed she was first subjected to inappropriate touching when she was between 5 and 7 years old.
Between the ages of 9 and 15, the girl said she was victimized repeatedly by Barbarossa, sometimes up to 50 times per year, the court record states.
Most of the charges occurred when the woman was 14 and 15 years old in 2019 and 2020, according to charging documents. One charge stems from an alleged 2014 occasion.
Barbarossa is accused of inappropriately touching her or forcing her to touch him. On at least three occasions, Barbarossa forced her to perform oral sex, the court record says.
The activity stopped when the girl turned 15. She said that Barbarossa never had sexual intercourse with her because he stated “that would be too much,” the court record said.
Barbarossa was picked up on a warrant on Sunday evening and is being held in the Porter County Jail.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
