FORTVILLE — A Fortville man is accused of raping a woman with an intellectual disability, court records state.
Justin Goble, 33, faces felony charges of rape and criminal confinement and a misdemeanor charge of battery. He appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty and is being held in the Hancock County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond.
Police began investigating Goble in May when a woman was taken to an Indianapolis hospital with sexual assault injuries. The woman told her home care nurse and personnel at the hospital she was raped by Goble, whom she had recently met, court documents state.
The woman told police she was with Goble at his Fortville apartment on the night of the incident. She showed officers bruising to her arms and said Goble became angry because the Internet wasn’t working then turned violent, court documents state. She said Goble held her down and assaulted her, court documents state.
Nurses told police the woman was under their care for several mental health issues and is considered mentally disabled, court documents state.
Police had difficulty interviewing Goble because the man seemed to be easily distracted and changed the subject when investigators tried to ask what happened, court documents state.
Goble told police his contact with the victim was consensual, court documents state. He said the bruising to the woman’s arm happened with he tripped and grabbed her to catch himself.
Goble faces a Level 3 felony charge of rape, which carries a penalty of three to 16 years; a Level 6 felony charge of criminal confinement, which carries a penalty of six months to 2½ years; and a Class B misdemeanor of battery, which carries a penalty of zero to 180 days.
This is the second rape case this month after nearly a decade without a rape conviction in Hancock County.
In early January, James Owens, 38, of Indianapolis, was charged with a three Level 1 felony counts of rape and one Level 6 felony count of battery causing injury.
The cases will be handled by Hancock County Deputy Prosecutor Georgeanna Teipen, who was hired in the fall to handle the prosecution of all crimes against woman and children, including rapes and sexual assaults.