MARION, IN- On Sunday, October 26, 2025, at approximately 5:35 p.m., witnesses with a “Catch a Predator” group and decoy reported that they had been involved in several internet text message exchanges with a local Marion man who believed he was communicating with a thirteen-year-old girl through a Facebook dating profile. The messages were sexual in nature, with the male reportedly sending unsolicited nude photographs.
The investigation identified the suspect as David W. Francis, age 38, of Marion. Deputies obtained a search warrant for Francis’s residence, which was executed on Monday morning. Francis was interviewed regarding the allegations and subsequently arrested for Child Solicitation, a Level 5 Felony.
Francis was booked into the Grant County Jail, where he posted bond later that afternoon and was released.
Sheriff Del Garcia emphasized the Sheriff’s Office mission to “Serve and Protect,” which is demonstrated by the deputies involved in this case working diligently to protect the children and citizens of Grant County.
Anyone with information related to this crime or other criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at (765) 668-8168 or their local law enforcement agency. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (765) 662-TIPS (8477).
Francis is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
