Sex offender previously convicted of attacking child with screwdriver accused of ‘puncturing’ 6-year-old in shopping cart
07/12/2026 8:00 am PDT
ANDERSON, Ind. (TCN) -- A 40-year-old man has been arrested and taken into custody after police allege he “punctured” a 6-year-old girl at a grocery store.
On July 9, police arrived at a grocery store after receiving a report of possible child battery, WXIN reports. When they responded to the scene, they encountered a 6-year-old girl who was allegedly approached while sitting in a shopping cart and poked with an unknown sharp object. Police stated that the child needed medical attention for the “minor puncture wound.”
WXIN reports the suspect, William Rothel, left after the alleged attack, but witnesses were able to help police identify his car. He was taken into custody without incident.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Madison County Bulletin, police allegedly found ammunition and unused insulin needles in Rothel’s car.
According to reporting from Fox59 anchor Angela Ganote, Rothel was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2017 followed by two years of home detention and two years of probation in connection with a 2015 attack at a grocery store. He was released from prison in December 2025. Rothel reportedly grabbed an 8-year-old boy by the neck and held a screwdriver to his throat for two minutes during the attack.
The Herald-Bulletin reports Rothel was arrested and charged with bodily injury, residential entry, and failure to register as a sex offender on July 9.
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