On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, there were two sentencings in Dubois Circuit Court on child sex offense cases.
First, Roy E. Stearns, 51, Holland, previously entered into a plea agreement with the State of Indiana that called for him to plead guilty to six counts of Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material as Level 5 felonies. Under the agreement, the parties agreed that he would be sentenced to a total sentence of 12 years, with the first 7 being served at the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by the remaining 5 years on supervised probation. As conditions of probation, he will be required to have no unsupervised contact with anyone under 16 years of age, as well as being required to follow all Indiana Special Probation Conditions for Adult Sex Offenders. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.
Second, Kurtis W. Head, 44, Evansville, entered into a Plea Agreement with the State of Indiana that called for him to plead guilty to Child Molesting as a Class C felony (this case involved a delayed disclosure by the victim, hence the reason it’s under the pre-2014 sentencing scheme). Under the agreement, the parties agreed that the sentence would be 8 years, but it would be left to the discretion of Judge Nathan Verkamp as to where Mr. Head would serve that sentence.
The parties agreed that the sentence would be consecutive to (or served after) the sentence in another child sex abuse case out of Dubois County in Cause No. 19C01-1308-FC-000681). Also, as part of this agreement, Mr. Head agreed that this conviction would require him to register as a sex offender for life.
At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, after hearing testimony and evidence, Judge Verkamp sentenced Mr. Head to 8 years, with the first 6 years to be served in prison at the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by the remaining 2 years on supervised probation. As conditions of that probation, he will be required to follow all Indiana Special Probation Conditions for Adult Sex Offenders.
In Dubois Superior Court, there was an open sentencing hearing before Judge Anthony Quinn in a case against Lucas Hildenbrand, 45, Holland. As we previously reported, Mr. Hildenbrand entered into a plea agreement with the State of Indiana that called for him to plead guilty to Dealing in Methamphetamine, a Level 2 felony. As part of the agreement, another Level 2 felony dealing case that had been filed against Mr. Hildenbrand was dismissed. The parties agreed that the sentence would be left to the Judge’s discretion, but it would next exceed 24 years at the Indiana Department of Correction.
On Wednesday, April 15, after hearing evidence and arguments from both parties, Judge Quinn sentenced Mr. Hildenbrand to 22 years in prison at the Indiana Department of Correction. He also is required to pay restitution to the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office for money that he received as part of controlled buy drug purchases.
Finally, to wrap the week up, Kyle Eason, 33, Jasper, appeared before Acting Judge Karen Werner in Dubois Circuit Court for sentencing on Friday, April 17, 2026. As we previously reported, Mr. Eason entered into a plea agreement with the State of Indiana where he pled guilty to 4 charges related to child pornography. Under the agreement, the sentence to be imposed by the court could range from 6 years to 15 years.
After hearing evidence and testimony by both sides, Judge Werner sentenced Mr. Eason to a total of 15 years, with the first 13.5 years to be served in prison at the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by 1.5 years on supervised probation with mental health treatment as a condition of that probation. In addition, Mr. Eason will be required to register as a sex offender for life and will be required to follow all Indiana Special Probation Conditions for Adult Sex Offenders.
The rulings represent the latest developments in several cases handled within the Dubois County court system.
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