A Batesville man is behind bars with a $900,000 bond after being charged with felony rape along with misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and animal cruelty.
According to the arrest affidavit for Christopher Robert Meyer (pictured below), 39, authorities were dispatched to White River Medical Center on July 2 in response to a 17-year-old who arrived after an apparent rape.
The juvenile later told police they had been visiting a friend and her three children. The friend’s boyfriend, Meyer, was also at the residence.
The affidavit said that when the friend left to run errands, Meyer told the kids to lie on the floor for a nap. At that point, the juvenile told police Meyer started touching them in a private area while the two sat on a couch. When the juvenile said no, the alleged rape occurred, according to the court document.
During the incident, the juvenile said one of the children asked if they were OK, the affidavit noted.
Authorities said text messages from the juvenile’s phone showed that after the incident, they immediately contacted several people to come pick them up because they had been raped.
After Meyer was interviewed at the Batesville Police Department on July 2, a search warrant was executed for the Lily Street residence to collect evidence.
While at the home, authorities discovered a mother dog, tied to a short cord, and two puppies outside the residence. The affidavit noted they appeared malnourished and without clean drinking water. Animal control was contacted and took possession of the dogs.
Christopher Robert Meyer is charged with one felony count of theft, three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, and three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
Image: Independence County Sheriff’s Department
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