NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – An Indiana National Guard (search) recruiter was charged with sexually assaulting at least six women he enlisted in the military, prosecutors said.
Sgt. Eric Vetesy (search), 36, faces 31 counts of rape, sexual battery, official misconduct and corrupt business influence, prosecutors said Monday.
"These were very young women who were being recruited out of high school classes," Hamilton County Prosecutor Sonia Leercamp (search) said. Some of the women were groped and at least of them was raped, investigators said.
The Guard began investigating Vetesy in January 2004 when a recruit accused him of assaulting her while he was assigned to an armory north of Indianapolis.
The Guard moved Vetesy and restricted his ability to interact with female recruits, but another recruit accused him of rape in May, Indiana National Guard spokeswoman Capt. Lisa Kopczynski said.
Noblesville police detective Mike Sadler said some of the women were groped by Vetesy as he drove them to an Indianapolis processing station for enlistment proceedings. Police are investigating whether other victims were involved.
A message left with Vetesy's attorney was not immediately returned Monday. Attorney Andrew M. Barker told the Indianapolis Star that he had not talked with his client about the charges and could not comment.
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