Serial Burglars Face New Charges From 2014 Crime Spree

By Mike Perleberg Dakota Fraley and Michelle Hensley. Photos by Dearborn County Sheriff's Department. (Versailles, Ind.) - A man already serving 68 years in prison for burglarizing numerous homes in Dearborn and Ripley counties may soon face even more time. Dakota Fraley was caught after a high-speed pursuit with local police in 2014. Police had developed Fraley as a suspect and had witnessed him committing a burglary in Sunman when they attempted to arrest him before he fled. He was pleaded guilty to five counts of Burglary (class B felony) in 2015. He was sentenced to 68 years – 63 in prison and five more on probation upon his release. But Fraley, 24, is now facing the possibility of an extended stay behind bars. New charges were filed against him and his former girlfriend, Michelle N. Hensley, in Ripley County on November 2. “Ripley County received additional forensic evidence from the ISP lab for us to move forward on additional criminal cases here,” Prosecutor Ric Hertel tells Eagle Country 99.3. The two are connected to six more home burglaries in Ripley County. According to a court affidavit, items that were found either in Fraley’s truck or had been pawned off by him or Hensley in Cincinnati were identified by the burglary victims as being taken from their homes. The items ranged from jewelry and electronics to autographed baseballs and silver. Fraley’s new charges include six counts of Burglary of a Dwelling (class B felony) and four counts of Conspiracy to Commit Burglary of a Dwelling (class B felony). Hensley, 28, is charged with four counts of Conspiracy to Commit Burglary of a Dwelling (class B felony). A class B felony is punishable by six to 20 years. Fraley made an initial appearance in Ripley County Superior Court to answer to the new charges on Monday, January 8. He was ordered held on a $100,000 cash bond. A jury trial was scheduled for May 22. Fraley remains behind bars at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections. His projected release date is currently listed as November 21, 2046. Like Fraley, Hensley was previously convicted in Dearborn County. She is still serving a prison sentence at the Rockville Correctional Facility with a projected release date of February 27, 2022. RELATED STORIES: Court Of Appeals Upholds Serial Burglar’s Long Prison Sentence Burglar Receives 68 Year Sentence; Getting Caught “Saved My Life”