(5-17-24) DNA test results show that Joshua A. Guntle (35) of Salamonia was the father of a child that was born to a 16 year old girl that he had been accused of sexually attacking last December.

On Wednesday in Jay Circuit Court, Guntle was charged with six related crimes that include Level 3 felonies…three counts of rape and sexual misconduct with a minor.

The rape charges are Level 3 felonies carrying up to 16 years in prison. The misconduct counts are Level 5 felonies with maximum 12-year sentences.

Court records…Guntle’s accuser at first indicated that he had sexually assaulted her a single time in May 2023, but later she said there had been multiple attacks over a period of several months.

Guntle is accused of being a habitual offender with a total of five charges in three Jay Circuit Court cases filed since mid-December…criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon and two counts each of domestic battery and invasion of privacy.

In the past Guntle has been convicted of dealing in meth, dealing in a narcotic drug , possession of meth, resisting law enforcement and theft.