CONNERSVILLE – A Liberty man has been sentenced to prison following a criminal investigation into the dissemination of obscene material to a minor.
Richard D. Jackson, 59, appeared in Fayette Circuit Court on April 17, 2026, where he pleaded guilty to Dissemination of Matter Harmful to Minors, a Level 6 Felony. Under the terms of a negotiated plea agreement, a secondary misdemeanor charge of exhibition of obscene matter was dismissed.
Fayette Circuit Court Judge Hubert Branstetter, Jr. sentenced Jackson to 1.5 years executed in the Indiana Department of Correction. Jackson was granted credit for 233 actual days served plus an additional 233 days of good time credit.
Investigation into Digital Communication The case began in June 2025 after a report was filed with the Connersville Police Department involving inappropriate digital contact. Detective Joshua Tudor’s investigation uncovered that Jackson had used Snapchat to send suggestive messages to a juvenile, at one point asking if the recipient was “single.”
Court documents indicate that when the juvenile threatened to report the messages, Jackson attempted to discourage them by warning of his own potential prison time before changing the chat settings to delete the conversation history.
Evidence Recovery On June 30, 2025, a multi-agency search warrant was executed at Jackson’s residence by the Connersville Police, Liberty Police, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
During a forensic examination of seized electronic devices, including three phones and a tablet, investigators located a video previously deleted from the device’s gallery that depicted Jackson exposing himself and engaging in a lewd act.
Police also found multiple open browser tabs featuring adult content and searches regarding Indiana’s age of consent laws and crimes against persons. Authorities noted that one device appeared to be in the process of shutting down when it was recovered from beneath a pillow in the home.
The State of Indiana was represented by Prosecuting Attorney Bette Jones, and Jackson was represented by Vincent Kregear.
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