A former youth mentor, Nathan C. Albrecht, 28, of Ferdinand, has been sentenced to 30 years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Albrecht was convicted on September 3, on two counts of child molesting after a two-day trial in Dubois County Circuit Court.
The charges in the case and subsequent conviction stem from an investigation that began on August 20, 2019. At that time, Officer Christian Gogel, of the Ferdinand Police Department, met with the mother of the victim, who had filed a report alleging the ongoing child molestation of her child by Albrecht for a period of 6-9 months. The victim’s mother told officers that her child was involved in a group called “Mentors for Youth” and that Mr. Albrecht had been the victim’s mentor for the previous two years.
Prosecutor Anthony Quinn noted at the time of the conviction, “I want to thank my team at the Prosecutor’s office and the excellent work of the Ferdinand Police Department, Dubois County Sheriff’s Department Detective John Anderson, as well as the Forensic interviewers at the Child Advocacy Center for bringing this to trial and securing a conviction for the victim and the victim’s family. The victim should also be commended for bravery in coming forward.”
A forensic interview was conducted by The Southwest Indiana Child Advocacy Center in Jasper on August 22, 2019. Forensic interviews are done by professionals trained in interviewing child victims in cases alleging child sexual or other abuse. During that interview, the victim confirmed Albrecht had abused the victim on more than one occasion. The victim also reported to forensic interviewers that the abuse began toward the end of the last school year and continued through up to two weeks before his mother notified police.
On August 23, 2019, Albrecht was placed under arrest and charged with child molestation and child seduction.
The jury trial, the first in Dubois County since the Covid pandemic, was held over two days. Albrecht was convicted of two counts of Child Molestation as Level 1 Felonies and one count of Performance Harmful to a Minor as a Level 6 felony.
At the sentencing hearing held on October 1, the Prosecutor’s Officer argued for a lengthy sentence, which the Judge handed down, ordering Albrecht to serve 30 years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Albrecht will have to serve at least 85% of that sentence before he would be eligible for release.
Of the sentence, Dubois County Prosecutor, Anthony Quinn, said, “The strong sentence we obtained in this case reflects the severity of the crime. I am pleased we were able to bring justice to the victim.” Quinn further noted, “We will continue our tireless work to protect vulnerable youth in our community.”
