KNOX COUNTY, Ind. (We Are Knox County) – Following three years of legal proceedings, a Knox County man has been sentenced to prison for child molestation.
David Wanke Sr. was sentenced Friday to 12 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Judge Gara Lee handed down the maximum sentence allowed under the terms of Wanke’s plea agreement.
Wanke was originally charged in 2022 with molesting his then 5-year-old granddaughter.
Wanke was convicted at trial in 2023 and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
According to Knox County Prosecutor Dirk Carnahan, the original conviction relied heavily on the child’s testimony, something legally required to secure a guilty verdict.
In March 2024, the Indiana Court of Appeals overturned that conviction and ordered a new trial.
Knox County Prosecutor Dirk Carnahan told WAKC News Now that the Court of Appeals, in a nonpublished opinion, overturned the conviction because it wasn’t clear if the little girl knew the woman she spoke to in the hospital was a nurse.
Under the law, statements made to nurses can be used in court as reliable evidence—but only if the person knows they’re talking to a nurse.
A second trial took place in March 2025.
The child was required to testify at two pre-trial hearings and again during the trial itself.
That trial ended with a hung jury, and a third trial was set.
Carnahan said that while a third trial could have resulted in a much longer sentence, possibly enough to keep Wanke in prison for life, it became clear that asking the child to testify again would only cause further and irreparable harm.
“I wasn’t willing to further victimize an already damaged little girl,” Carnahan said.
“The little girl’s parents met with me many times and were fully supportive of this resolution, which ends this part of the nightmare for their child.”
Carnahan also responded to concerns on social media, saying his office takes child sex abuse cases very seriously and often wins long prison sentences.
“In this case, protecting the child’s well-being was more important than trying to get a longer sentence,” said Carnahan.
This article was provided by We Are Knox County.
