WESTFIELD, Ind. — Westfield police arrested a suspect one year after the mother of a 12-year-old victim came forward to police after her daughter was allegedly raped in Grand Park.
Police believe 20-year-old Benjamin Owen Rollo, of Westfield, sexually exploited other victims throughout Carmel and Westfield.
Rollo was arrested Nov. 11 and faces multiple charges of child molesting, sexual misconduct and possession of child pornography. He is accused of using a Snapchat account to pressure young girls into meeting up with him, or into sending explicit photos.
The victim's mother learned of the attack by confiscating her daughter's cellphone, where she found messages between her daughter and friends about the attack. The victim told friends she snuck out with a friend to meet Rollo on July 22, 2022. Rollo allegedly drove to the friend's home, then drove the victim and the friend to Grand Park.
When the victim asked where they were going, Rollo would not say.
Rollo allegedly forced the 12-year-old in the back of a car during the attack. The victim deleted Rollo's contact from her Snapchat in the hours after.
The messages also revealed the girl did not know the attack was a rape, until one of her friends urged her to call the police. The victim confided to friends she had hesitated to come forward about the attack because she feared retribution for sneaking out.
Through her Snapchat account, investigators found Rollo had dozens more victims throughout the area, and that he used his Snapchat account, "johnny.backer," to target young girls.
Police served a search warrant to his home in West Lafayette on Nov. 11, and he consented to a police interview.
When asked about photos and images sent and received, specifically on Snapchat, Rollo advised he has asked young girls and teens for explicit images and has sent his own images, “15-20 times.” Rollo also confirmed to police 12- and 13-year-old females are who he is attracted to. When asked further, he advised that he did not know, it is just “what he’s into.”
His Snapchat account also revealed he raped a 14-year-old girl who he picked up in Carmel in December 2022. Multiple messages reportedly showed Rollo telling the girl what happened was not rape, and to please delete their interactions.
Rollo confirmed the "johnny.backer" account was his secondary account, because he was not comfortable using his real name. While en route to the Hamilton County Jail, detectives asked Rollo how many images were on his phone of younger girls — he said well over 1,000 images.
Staying safe online
Experts say cases like this are on the rise.
Melissa Peregrin, executive director of the Indiana Center for the Prevention of Youth Abuse & Suicide, said online enticement reports went up 97.5% during 2020 alone.
"Predators will do just about anything to trick our kids into doing things that aren't safe for them," Peregrin said.
She said they often use tactics to entice young teens who are still developing confidence — shaming, complimenting, secrecy.
"Telling them what they want to hear, so telling these girls how pretty they are and that he likes 12- and 13-year-olds," Peregrin said. "And they're practicing! They're practicing how to do this, and they're getting really good at it. They are spending a lot of time figuring out how to manipulate you and your children."
Peregrin said this case should be a conversation starter for all parents and kids about spotting danger and staying safe:
- Never share personal information online.
- Never send explicit photos.
- Don't befriend or meet up with strangers on social media.
- And if something does happen, block the person and then tell an adult.
"Even if you're afraid of getting in trouble, even if, always tell," Peregrin said. "The most important thing you can do is have a conversation with your kids about what kind of behavior is appropriate, what constitutes a healthy relationship, whether that's in-person or whether that's online, because somebody that cares about you in a healthy relationship is not going to ask you to send photographs that are sexually explicit. They're not going to ask you to do things that are breaking the rules of your household."
Here are resources to get training on social media and online safety: