Judge Drops The Hammer On Repeat Child Molester With 170 Year Max Sentence

By Mike Perleberg Convicted child molester Steven Rekowski received a 170 1/2 year prison sentence in Dearborn Circuit Court on Thursday, November 10. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3. (Dearborn County, Ind.) - A judge called Steven Rekowski "the worst of the worst" in handing down a 170 1/2 year prison sentence to the  convicted child molester. "It is hard to imagine a more disgusting display of human behavior," said Dearborn Circuit Court Judge James D. Humphrey as he pronounced the maximum possible sentence Thursday. "The exact extend of the harm done to these children may not be known for years." Facing irrefutable video evidence against him, Rekowski pleaded guilty in May to three counts of Child Molesting (level 1 felony), three counts of Child Molesting (level 4 felony), and a single count of Child Exploitation (level 5 felony). The sentence on each charge will be served consecutively, totaling more than 170 years in a maximum security prison with the Indiana Department of Corrections and no time suspended to probation. The 45-year-old is responsible for one of the worst known child molestation cases in Dearborn County history. He was arrested on New Year's Day after a friend happened upon a video on Rekowski's phone showing him performing sexual acts with her children ages 4 and 8. Police were contacted, took him into custody, and began searching his home and storage unit. In addition to young children's clothing and undergarments which prosecutors referred to as "trophies", they found 20 electronic devices. A handful of those devices and memory cards were reviewed by the Indiana State Police cyber crimes unit, with more than a quarter million images and videos depicting child erotica or pornography. Steven Rekowski. Photo by Dearborn County Sheriff's Department. Some of the unspeakable images were produced by Rekowski himself, with four known local victims ranging in age from 10- to as young as 4-years-old. Humphrey noted that investigators witnessed five to 10 more victims which could not be positively identified. In addition to the crimes themselves and the number of victims, the judge cited Rekowski's criminal history as an aggravating factor. He has past convictions for burglary and exposing himself dating back to 1989 in other states as he moved around prior to landing in southeastern Indiana. Parents of the four known victims, whom Rekowski had volunteered as a babysitter, were in the courtroom. A couple rushed sobbing out of the courtroom momentarily as the judge read through the details of the molestation. When the hearing was coming to a close, they shouted "pig!" and other derogatories at Rekowski as he was led away in handcuffs by deputies. Quiet and still throughout his sentencing, Rekowski didn't appear to respond. Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor Aaron Negangard called the case among the worst he has ever seen. "It is certainly one of the most disturbing in terms of the breadth of the criminal activity involved. We may never know the full extent of the crimes he's committed all over the country," he said. Negangard described Humphrey's sentencing decision as fair and critically analyzed. The prosecutor was thankful that a trial, which would have potentially required the victims to testify, was avoided with the guilty plea. But that has been little consolation for the families impacted by a "monster". "What these families have gone through has been extremely emotional and I've been concerned about the parents of the victims hearing the extent of the evidence during those sentencing hearings. As a father myself, I can't imagine what it's like hearing what someone did to your children. It's always tough in every child molest case. The fact that this was documented and so it is entirely clear what was done, it exacerbates it for the family because it is impossible to put aside what happened to your children," Negangard explained. Rekowski must also register as a sex offender for life, assuming he is ever able to leave prison. Rekowski's attorney, Gary Sorge of Lawrenceburg, indicated that his client would request an attorney be appointed for an appeal of his sentence. RELATED STORIES: Accused Serial Molester Kept “A Lot” Of Little Girl Clothes Mental Evaluation Ordered For Accused Child Molester Child Molester Caught With Video Pleads Guilty Six New Victims; More Charges For Accused Child Molester Mother Locks Alleged Child Molester In Room After Learning Her Daughter Was A Victim