Lucas proposes death penalty for convicted child molesters

By Andy East | The R epublic aeast@therepublic.com

Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, said he supports imposing the death penalty for convicted child molesters and may propose legislation next session that would allow for additional forms of capital punishment in Indiana — including firing squads and hanging.

The Republic contacted Lucas on Friday after he posted an image of a gallows under a news story about a 15-year-old boy in Jennings County who is being tried as an adult on allegations of sexually assaulting a special needs student multiple times on a school bus.

When asked to elaborate on what he was wanting to communicate with the image, Lucas said, “Child molesters deserve the death penalty.”

“Child molesting, I think, is one of the sickest, most evil crimes possible, and it needs to be treated accordingly,” Lucas said.

Earlier this week, Jennings County prosecutors filed 12 criminal charges against Landon Doty, 15, North Vernon, including two counts of rape when compelled by force, two counts of rape against a mentally disabled individual and two counts of child molesting — all Level 3 felonies.

Doty is also facing four counts of sexual battery — all Level 6 felonies — one count of criminal confinement of an individual younger than 14 — a level 5 felony — and one

misdemeanor count of public indecency.

Doty is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 7-year-old, non-verbal special needs student on a school bus over a period of several weeks, according to court records. Under Indiana law, Doty is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Lucas said he was unsure whether state law would allow for an individual convicted of child molesting to face the death penalty, but “it should be, and that might be legislation that I’ll work on next year.”

According the Indiana Code, the only crime listed as eligible for capital punishment is murder with at least one of several “aggravating circumstances.” Child molesting, rape, criminal confinement, among several other crimes, are listed as aggravating circumstances.

However, the Indiana Code also lists being a minor at the time of the crime as a mitigating factor. Lucas also said he may file legislation next session that would expand the permitted forms of capital punishment in Indiana, as the state has had difficulty at times obtaining the drug commonly used for lethal injection.

“I’m looking at legislation that would allow firing squads and the gallows to be used (in Indiana),” Lucas said. “And I personally believe that murder, child molesting should be subject to capital punishment once (defendants) are, of course, tried in a court of law and convicted by a jury of their peers.”

Lucas claimed the the gallows in the image he posted on Facebook is located in a national park in Arizona.

“I want to make this crystal clear because I’ve been down this road before, those aren’t nooses, those are a government-sanctioned form of capital punishment,” Lucas said. “That particular gallows is from a national park in Tucson, Arizona.”

Lucas’ Facebook posts have been the subject of controversy in the past.

In 2019, Lucas drew criticism for posting nooses under a Facebook story about a black man pleading guilty to rape, The Associated Press reported.

Lucas posted a picture of a gallows with two nooses under a WISH-TV story about Marquise Dozier’s case.

Lucas said at the time that he wanted to punish the man and believes in capital punishment. Dozier faced up to 72 years in prison.

Lucas said he had previously posted the image under stories involving white offenders. Lucas said he isn’t racist and said he didn’t believe the photo is racist.

However, the chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus criticized the photo at the time.

Democratic state Rep. Robin Shackleford told The Indianapolis Star at the time that noose imagery is wellknown to be connected to the lynchings of African Americans and the “normalization of racism” must end.