Staff Report

Chet Daniel Borkholder

NAPPANEE — A Nappanee man was recently arrested after allegedly molesting and engaging in sexual activity with a child for several years.

Chet Daniel Borkholder, 24, 30869 CR 146, Nappanee, is charged with child molesting, a level 3 felony; and sexual misconduct with a minor, a level 5 felony.

Between December 2014 and November 2017, Borkholder allegedly engaged in inappropriate activity with a child in Nappanee.

According to court documents, in October 2020, the victim, now an adult, attended counseling and informed their therapist that Borkholder sexually abused them. The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office was notified and an investigation began.

An ECSO detective interviewed the victim on two occasions. In the first interview, the victim said Borkholder molested and raped them for five years. They said the activity first began in 2012 when Borkholder was almost 16 years old. The last time it occurred was in 2017 when Borkholder was 20 years old.

During the course of both interviews, the victim provided details on multiple incidents where Borkholder engaged in activity with them. They said it was hard to remember specific incidents since they would “remove themselves from their body” when it was happening and because it happened frequently.

Borkholder was then interviewed by officers. He said he engaged in sexual activity with the child on multiple occasions after he turned 18. Borkholder told officers he stopped the inappropriate activity before he joined the church and before he turned 21.

Borkholder was booked in the Elkhart County Corrections Facility on Oct. 8, with an $80,000 surety and cash bond.