07/01/2026
MARK KELLEY FOUND GUILTY OF R**E AND GROSS S*XUAL IMPOSITION OF FOUR YEAR OLD CHILD.
Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan announced that Mark Kelley was found guilty on both s*xual assault felony counts against him following a two-day jury trial. Kelley faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole.
The case began on October 24, 2024, when the grandmother of the victim reported to law enforcement that her four-year-old grandson had disclosed being r**ed by Kelley. The disclosure occurred after the victim told his grandmother that he and the defendant shared a “secret” that he was not supposed to tell anyone.
The following day, Marion Police Officer Matt Mauldin interviewed Kelley at his residence on Blaine Avenue. The residence also operated as an in-home daycare through Kelley’s then-wife. During the interview, Kelley acknowledged that the victim had been inside his home and in his bedroom.
Rather than accepting any responsibility, Kelley denied the allegations, described the victim as an “angry” child who “hates everybody,” and suggested that the allegations were motivated by animosity from the victim’s grandmother, who had previously supervised him while they worked together at Whirlpool. Kelley also blamed the victim’s mother for the accusations.
On October 30, 2024, the victim participated in a forensic interview at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. During that interview, the victim disclosed that Kelley had s*xually assaulted him. Throughout the interview, the victim consistently identified Mark Kelley as the individual who abused him and demonstrated the disturbing conduct he described.
Following the investigation, the Marion County Grand Jury indicted Kelley on one count of R**e, a felony of the first degree, and one count of Gross Sexual Imposition, a felony of the third degree.
The matter proceeded to trial this week before Judge Todd Anderson. Grogan’s Assistant Prosecutors John Scott and Parker Schwartz, presented testimony from the victim’s grandmother; a Nationwide Children’s Hospital forensic interviewer; and investigating officer Matt Mauldin. The jury also viewed the admissible portions of the victim’s recorded forensic interview and an interview with Kelley.
After deliberations, the jury found Kelley guilty on both counts. Judge Anderson ordered Kelley remanded to jail pending sentencing.
“This case began because a grandmother listened carefully to a child and took his words seriously,” Grogan said. “The victim was only four years old, but he was able to tell trusted adults what happened, and that courage helped bring this case before a jury.”
Grogan praised the work of the Marion Police Department, the forensic interviewer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and both Scott and Schwartz who presented this case to the jury in a professional and sophisticated fashion.
“Cases involving very young children require patience, care, and disciplined investigative work,” Grogan said. “Officer Mauldin, the forensic interviewer, and our prosecution team treated this case with the seriousness it deserved from the very beginning.”
Grogan also thanked Assistant Prosecutors John Scott and Parker Schwartz for their outstanding work during the two-day trial.
“This verdict reflects careful preparation and a clear presentation of the evidence,” Grogan concluded. “When a child is victimized, our office will do everything within the law to seek accountability and protect the vulnerable.”
Kelley will be sentenced at a later date.
