"Spoofing" incidents considered in Senate
INDIANAPOLIS—An Indiana Senate committee had a moment of levity Tuesday in the middle of considering a serious bill. Senate Bill 147 would establish penalties for police and law enforcement officials who engage in sex with children between the ages of 16 and 18. The bill would make such conduct a Class D felony, which would carry with it a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment of up to 18 months. The bill also would make it a Class D felony to falsely report such offenses. It was that section that produced the levity. Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, described such “spoofing” incidents in Morgan County. A teenager there, she said, fooled a police officer by using a website that falsely listed his phone number as that of one of his peers. The young man gave a false report that led police to make a forced entry on the innocent teen’s home. The bill passed, 7-0, out of the Senate Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters Committee and now moves to the Senate floor.
