Investigators with the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) began a criminal investigation in April 2025 after receiving a complaint about an individual using an online account to contact minors.
Following the investigation, the Wabash County Prosecutor’s Office issued a search warrant for a residence belonging to Ethan Cornett, 24, of Wabash, IN.
On Friday, July 18, 2025, members of Indiana State Police ICAC Task Force, the ISP Peru Post, and the Wabash County Sheriff’s Office executed the search warrant and seized multiple electronic devices. Cornett was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Wabash County Sheriff’s Office.
Arrested and Preliminary Charges:
* Ethan Cornett, 24, of Wabash, IN
– Child Solicitation – Level 5 Felony, IC 35-42-4-6
– Inappropriate Communication with a Child – Class A Misdemeanor, IC 35-42-4-13
This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and no further information is available at this time. ICAC detectives continue to examine all seized electronic devices.
The Indiana ICAC is a multiagency task force led by the Indiana State Police that investigates and prosecutes persons who use the internet to sexually exploit or entice children. Each year, Indiana ICAC investigators evaluate thousands of tips, investigate hundreds of cases, and rescue dozens of children from ongoing sexual abuse. The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages Hoosiers to report online exploitation, solicitation, and enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website. To report a crime with your child as a victim involving the internet or other electronic means, please contact your local Indiana law enforcement agency. To learn more about the efforts of the Indiana ICAC, visit https://internetcrimesagainstkids.com.
Under the law, criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
ICAC Taskforce Investigators were assisted in this Investigation by member of the Indiana State Police Peru Post, the Wabash County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wabash County Prosecutor’s Office.