Westville man found guilty of child molestation

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RIchard Dobeski

By Beth Boehne

LAPORTE (AP) — A man who spent almost 40 years in prison for murdering two young brothers was convicted Tuesday of molesting a 7-year-old boy.

Sentencing was set for May 15 for Richard Dobeski, 59, who could face up to eight years in prison on the molestation charge.

A LaPorte Circuit Court jury deliberated about two hours Tuesday, a day after the 7-year-old Westville boy identified Dobeski as the man who molested him. Dobeski also faces trial June 9 on a separate charge of possessing child pornography.

Defense attorney Kurt Earnst questioned the boy's credibility. Earnst said the boy told police that Dobeski had spanked him, but told jurors Dobeski had threatened to spank him.

But LaPorte County deputy prosecutor Jennifer Evans said in her closing statements to the jury that the boy "was extremely consistent on what happened and how it happened."

"He had no motivation to lie," she said.

The charges stemmed from an investigation in Pulaski County in which Dobeski allegedly offered $50 to three boys to let him take photos of them. During a search of his residence, authorities allegedly found a computer containing images of young boys in various stages of nudity, police said.

The boy testified he met Dobeski last summer and went to his home several times. The boy said Dobeski pulled the boy's shorts halfway down and fondled him on one occasion.

Dobeski was sentenced to life in prison in 1964 for the murders of 6-year-old Shaun Johnston and her 3-year-old brother Cary in Long Beach. In 1984, the sentence was reduced to 40 years on appeal, and he was released in 2003.

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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com

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