Stephen Bush sentenced to 178 years for child molestation in Indiana

Stephen Bush has been sentenced to 178 years in prison, the maximum possible sentence, after being found guilty of child molestation and sexual misconduct with a minor in Indiana. A jury convicted Bush on four counts of child molestation and two counts of sexual misconduct.

The victim reported the abuse in 2022, stating the misconduct began when she was approximately six years old and continued until she was 14. The prosecution's case relied heavily on DNA evidence collected from the victim's bed sheets. Indiana State Police determined that the material found was “at least 1 trillion times more likely” to have originated from Bush than from an unknown individual.

Allen County Deputy prosecutors Tracy Heltz Noetzel and Emily Snyder led the case. Noetzel credited the conviction to the courage of the victim and the work of the various agencies involved in the investigation and arrest.