MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to child molestation charges.

John W. Harden, 37, was also ordered to serve 10 years of probation following his release from prison.

Court documents state that in August of 2021, an officer with the Muncie Police Department spoke with an 8-year-old girl at the Suzanne Gresham Child Advocacy Center. The girl told the officer that Harden had been sexually abusing her since she was 5 years old and described the acts to the officer.

When the officer interviewed Harden at the police department, Harden admitted to having sex with the girl about 20-30 times, per court documents. Hard also admitted to to engaging in other sexual acts with the girl and showing her pornographic videos.

Police arrested Harden after the interview. He received his sentencing April 6 of 2023 after pleading guilty to three counts of child molestation.