Article: County Official Arrested on Child Sex, Drug Charges

Roger Fisher, a long-time Parke County official, was arrested Monday for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old boy he met over a telephone chat line. Fisher, 53, is also charged with possession of narcotics as a result of the arrest.

Speedway Police got a call from a woman who was concerned after seeing what she said was a frightened-looking young person go into a Motel 6 room with Fisher. The caller said she was worried because “she did not think that the situation looked right”, according to a report.

When officers arrived and knocked on the door shortly after 9 p.m., Fisher, a two-term councilman and previous county auditor and county clerk answered. He initially told officers he was alone, but later acknowledged the boy was in his room. Police found the teen hiding in the bathtub.

In questioning, Fisher told police that the victim appeared to be under 18 and that he intended to have sex with the boy. Fisher also admitted he had made previous contact with the victim, speaking to him six times in less than a year.

Fisher told police that he and the boy had spoken on the telephone earlier in the day and decided to meet at another location. The boy then agreed to go to the motel room where he and Fisher engaged in illicit activity.

After his arrest, police found the painkiller hydrocodone in Fisher’s pocket. Fisher claimed to have a prescription for the drug but did not have it with him, according to the report.

Fisher was freed from the Marion County Jail Tuesday after posting $20,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Marion Superior Court on Thursday to face multiple charges of sexual misconduct and the possession of a narcotic drug.

Fisher had served two terms as county clerk and two terms as county auditor. He had also been regional manager for the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Dale Gerrish, Parke County Council President, told reporters that Fisher will officially hold his council seat until proven guilty.