by Kevin Lilly
A convicted sex offender has been arrested in the alleged rape of a woman in rural Cass County over the weekend.
Detective Jill Rife of the Cass County Sheriff’s Department is handling the investigation. She said the alleged victim, who is in her late 30s, told police that the attack occurred in a field northeast of Logansport sometime between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.
An investigation led police to 46-year-old Michael Crispen of Logansport, who was booked into the Cass County Jail about 11 a.m. Tuesday on a preliminary charge of rape.
Authorities declined to comment further on the current allegations until the prosecutor’s office had more time to review the case.
Crispen is expected to appear in court this week. Until then, he is being held without bond on a charge of parole violation.
According to Indiana’s Sex and Violent Offender Registry, Crispen has convictions in Fulton County for rape in 2000 and two counts of child molesting in 1991. He has been ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.
