WESTFIELD, Ind. — A Hamilton County judge sentenced a Westfield man after he pleaded guilty to child molesting, sexual assault with a minor and possession of child pornography.
Court documents say 21-year-old Benjamin Rollo used Snapchat to prey on young girls and lured a then-12-year-old to meet up with him before raping her in the back of his car parked at Grand Park.
Judge Michael Casati issued the following sentence for Rollo:
- Child molesting: 14 years for child molesting, with 391 days removed for jail credit
- Sexual misconduct with a minor: Three years for sexual assault with a minor, two years in community corrections, with one year suspended, and one year on probation
- Possession of child pornography: One year, with one year suspended, and one year on probation
As part of the plea agreement, additional charges of child exploitation, child solicitation, sexual misconduct with a minor and possession of child pornography were dismissed.
After his release from jail, Rollo must register as a sexually violent predator, cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school or day care center, cannot live within 1 mile of the victim, consent to the search of his personal computer at any time and is prohibited from accessing or using certain websites, chat rooms or instant messaging programs frequently used by children.
(NOTE: the video at the top of this story was from when Rollo was first arrested.)
Background on the case
Westfield police arrested Rollo one year after the mother of the 12-year-old victim came forward to police after her daughter was allegedly raped in Grand Park.
Police believe Rollo sexually exploited other victims throughout Carmel and Westfield.
Rollo was arrested Nov. 11, 2023. 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, 2023, 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 headed to the Hamilton County Jail, detectives asked Rollo how many images were on his phone of younger girls — he allegedly said well over 1,000 images.