A Wolcottville police officer arrested by Indiana State Police on Monday has a Kosciusko County connection.
On Monday afternoon, detectives with the ISP-Fort Wayne Post arrested Wolcottville police officer Zarek B. Finley, 27, following an investigation of alleged official misconduct involving a minor child, according to a news release from ISP. Finley was arrested on multiple felony charges related to the investigation and was incarcerated in the Noble County Jail without bond pending his initial court appearance.
The investigation began on Feb. 4 after information was reported to ISP detectives by the Noble County Sheriff’s Department and the mother of the involved 16-year-old female victim, the release states. In that initial complaint, the mother reported information which alleged that Finley, while acting in his official capacity, allegedly had been exchanging inappropriate electronic communications with her 16-year-old daughter via social media messaging platforms. From this information, detectives began an immediate and thorough investigation, the release states.
Based on information and evidence collected by detectives as of Monday, an onsite arrest was made. After review by the DeKalb County prosecutor, with a special prosecutor assigned to the case, it was determined that the following criminal charges would be filed, with the possibility for more criminal charges forthcoming: attempted child seduction, Level 5 felony; attempted dissemination of material harmful to a minor, Level 6 felony; and attempted possession of child pornography, Level 6 felony.
The release states this is an ongoing criminal investigation and no further information will be released at this time.
A search of the Times-Union website found Finley played basketball and golf at Lakeland Christian Academy. He also received the Phillip Hochstetler Memorial Scholarship in 2013 and 2014 from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office. In 2014, he was a student at Ancilla College, pursuing a criminal justice degree.
On the NSCAsports.org website, Finley listed his hometown as Warsaw and stated his career interest “is to study criminal justice and to become a police officer at the local level or maybe follow it to the federal level.”
