Published: June 24, 2009 01:06 am      

Teen faces up to 20 years in rape case

16-year-old charged with forcing 14-year-old girl to have sex with him

TIPTON – A Tipton teen faces up to 20 years in prison after being charged as an adult with rape.

Vincent McKinney, 16, Tipton, was arrested June 15 on suspicion of forcing a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him, according to police reports.

The girl told police McKinney was a friend, and she was at his Mill Street home when he began forcing her to have sex with him on June 3. She managed to escape to a friend’s house and call her mother. The girl’s mother took her to Tipton Hospital, where a sexual assault nurse examiner administered a rape kit, police said.

Officers found McKinney later that night and took him to Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center.

On June 15, the Tipton County prosecutor filed a charge of rape, a Class B felony, according to Tipton Circuit Court.

Anyone convicted of a Class B felony can be sentenced to between six and 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000, according to Indiana law. Advisory sentences for Class B felonies are 10 years.

McKinney was automatically charged as an adult because of the nature of the allegations.

According to the Indiana Code, there are 13 crimes that, as long as the suspect is at least 16 years old, are automatically waived as adult charges. Other charges in that category include murder, kidnapping, robbery and criminal gang activity.

McKinney was released from Tipton County Jail on $25,000 bail on June 15. He has a pre-trial conference set for Aug. 14.

• Daniel Human is a Kokomo Tribune staff writer. He can be reached at (765) 454-8570 or at daniel.human@kokomotribune.com.