A 40-year-old registered Putnam County sex offender is charged with two counts of sexual battery after investigators said he fathered a child with a teenage girl several years ago.
Eight years ago, Robert Chesko avoided a sexual battery conviction that could have landed him in prison but pled guilty to a lesser sex charge that led to him being placed on sex offender probation. Now the original sexual battery charge is back on the table because of new evidence.
“This is one of the most unique cases I’ve seen because the way we became aware of some recent information on a case we initially worked years ago,” said Col. Joe Wells with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
Chesko was arrested in 2012 on a charge of sexual battery involving a minor after he was accused of having sexual contact with a then 15-year-old girl.
“The case had some challenges to it, and with consultation with the state attorney, it was pled down to a lesser charge for which he was placed on sex offender probation,” explained Wells.
The lesser charge was lewd and lascivious exhibition.
A few months ago, according to the Sheriff’s Office, detectives got word that right after he was sentenced to sex offender probation, he impregnated the 15-year-old.
“So, as we began to follow that lead, we found out that was in fact true,” Wells said.
Investigators said they met with the victim who is now an adult and the mother of Chesko’s child.
“We were able to get consent to take DNA from the child and that DNA was compared with the suspect’s DNA,” Wells said.
According to investigators, it was a match. As a result, the 2012 sexual battery charge that was originally dropped by prosecutors is now back in place against Chesko. Authorities also added another sexual battery charge to coincide with the victim getting pregnant.
If convicted on both charges of sexual battery, Chesko could face up to life in prison.