Appeals court overturns man's child molestation convictions

HARTFORD CITY, Ind. (AP) - Indiana's appeals court has overturned a man's child molestation convictions after finding that a judge shouldn't have considered incriminating statements the man made following an FBI search.

Thirty-two-year-old David A. Wright was sentenced to 60 years in prison in September 2016 by Blackford Circuit Court Judge Dean Young, who convicted him of four molestation counts following a bench trial.

The Star Press reports the appeals court overturned Wright's convictions after finding that Young shouldn't have considered statements Wright allegedly made admitting to sexually abusing two children.

The court found that Wright made those statements after an FBI agent made an unconstitutional search of his computers.

Senior Judge Carl Darden wrote that those statements "were thus the fruit of the poisonous tree."

Prosecutors plan to retry Wright in the case.

___

Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com