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An Indiana teen has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a non-verbal, neurodivergent child.
Sixteen-year-old Landon Doty was convicted following a two-day jury trial that concluded Wednesday, April 1.
Doty, who was 15 at the time of the incidents, had been charged as an adult on June 12, 2025, after school bus surveillance footage reportedly captured multiple instances of alleged assaults over several weeks.
Officials first became aware of the situation on April 17, 2025, when a bus monitor reported seeing Doty push the child from his lap. The monitor immediately alerted the bus driver, and the students were separated. The incident was subsequently reported to Jennings County Schools.
Doty reportedly denied any sexual contact, claiming he used “calming techniques.” His attorney argued that neither the bus driver nor the monitor witnessed any sexual acts.
A filing submitted on June 9, 2025, after Doty was waived to adult court, stated that the teen was “beyond rehabilitation under the juvenile justice system” and that it was “in the best interest of the safety and welfare of the community” for him to face trial as an adult.
An officer testified that Doty’s case “is the worst he has ever seen during his 39-year career as a juvenile probation officer,” according to reports.
Doty was found guilty of rape, child molestation, sexual battery, criminal confinement of a victim under four years of age, and public indecency.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
