FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — A Fort Wayne man has been sentenced to 178 years in the Indiana Department of Correction after being convicted of multiple child molesting and sexual misconduct charges.
Stephen Bush was sentenced Wednesday to the maximum sentence allowed by law, according to the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
A jury found Bush guilty Aug. 13 of four counts of child molesting, all Level 1 felonies, along with two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. The sexual misconduct convictions were a Level 4 felony and a Level 5 felony.
The court imposed an aggregate sentence of 178 years.
Deputy prosecutors Tracy Heltz Noetzel and Emily Snyder represented the state during the case, trial and sentencing.
Noetzel credited Fort Wayne Police Department victim advocates, officers and detectives, along with the Indiana Department of Child Services, the Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children, the Fort Wayne Sexual Assault Treatment Center and the Allen County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for their work on the case.
Prosecutors said the victim came forward after enduring nearly eight years of abuse.
Noetzel said the victim’s courage to come forward was an important part of bringing the case to justice.
