Carmel Man Accused of Rape Now Facing Sexual Battery Charges
CARMEL, Ind. — A 19-year-old Carmel man is facing new sexual battery charges in a separate case after previously being accused of raping a 17-year-old girl.
According to court documents, Ethan Lessig faces preliminary charges of sexual battery and criminal confinement, both Level 6 felonies, and rape, a Level 3 felony. The new charges were filed in Hamilton Circuit Court earlier this week and stem from a 2023 incident where Lessig is accused of assaulting a girl he met on Snapchat.
The victim told police she wanted to report the incident after seeing a post that mentioned Lessig’s prior arrest for rape. Lessig was previously charged for an incident involving a 17-year-old girl in a church parking lot in April 2025.
The girl in the second rape case told investigators that she and Lessig started talking to each other on Snapchat in August. After a few weeks, they agreed to meet in person at Lessig’s house in Carmel.
Court documents said that once the two met, they began walking toward a nearby elementary school. Once there, the girl said her and Lessig sat down on a bench, where Lessig grabbed her and started kissing her.
The victim said she told Lessig multiple times that she was uncomfortable.
The two eventually made their way to a bridge in Lessig’s neighborhood. Lessig is accused of raping the victim underneath the bridge.
Lessig was booked into the Hamilton County Jail on Wednesday. He’s currently being held on a $100,000 bond and is also subject to a no-contact order as the case moves through the court system.
Lessig was scheduled to appear in Hamilton Circuit Court on June 22 to begin the jury trial for the initial rape charge pending against him.
Carmel Man Accused of Rape Now Facing Sexual Battery Charges was originally published on wibc.com
