48-year-old Cicero man convicted of child solicitation

FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — A 48-year-old man from Cicero, Indiana, was convicted of child solicitation on Tuesday, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Tuesday, Matthew Mueller, 48, of Cicero, was convicted of child solicitation, a Level 4 felony, following a bench trial in the Johnson County Circuit Court on Jan. 22.

Mueller was found guilty by Judge Andrew Roesener, and is facing up to 12 years in prison and must register as a sex offender. Mueller’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 19.

Mueller was arrested in April 2023 during a Johnson County law enforcement undercover operation aimed at catching persons targeting children for sex acts. 

According to court documents, Mueller spent three days texting with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl before Mueller traveled to a prearranged location to meet her for sex. Judge Roesener’s order cited to no less than 41 pages of text messages and Mueller’s “obvious state of sexual ferment” as key evidence to support the conviction. 

“We are pleased with the efforts of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in investigating these cases to keep child predators away from our kids,” said Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner.