A Lake County jury found Hakeem Pittman guilty on multiple felony charges stemming from a child molestation investigation, and a judge has now sentenced him to 67 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.
The court handed down the sentence in Lake County Superior Court.
Pittman was convicted of the following offenses:
• Count I: Child Molesting (Level 1 Felony)
• Count II: Child Molesting (Level 1 Felony)
• Count III: Child Molesting (Level 1 Felony)
• Count IV: Sexual Misconduct with a Minor (Level 5 Felony)
At sentencing, the court imposed 32 years for Count I, 32 years for Count II, and 3 years for Count IV, resulting in a total executed sentence of 67 years.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officers with the East Chicago Police Department launched the investigation on April 26, 2024, after responding to a report of juvenile molestation.
Police reported that a juvenile female told her mother she had endured ongoing sexual abuse at a residence in East Chicago. Officers noted that the mother appeared visibly distressed while reporting the allegations.
Authorities were given access to electronic communications allegedly sent from Pittman to the juvenile. Investigators said the messages included sexually explicit content, solicitations, and requests to delete previous messages.
The juvenile later participated in a forensic interview with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators said she provided detailed accounts describing multiple incidents of sexual abuse over an extended period beginning when she was 12 years old.
Officers located Pittman inside the residence identified in the report and took him into custody. Court documents state that Pittman declined to give a statement to detectives.
After a jury trial in Lake County Superior Court, jurors found Pittman guilty on multiple Level 1 felony counts of Child Molesting and one Level 5 felony count of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor.
The court subsequently ordered him to serve a total of 67 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.