Man who crashed into juvenile detention center after being denied time with son sentenced

FRANKLIN, Ind. (WISH) — A Franklin man who purposefully crashed his truck into the Johnson County Juvenile Justice Center after being denied parenting time with his son has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Jacob Dhondt pled guilty to charges of criminal mischief and criminal recklessness following the Mother’s Day incident on May 11, 2025.

Investigators say he targeted the facility because he disagreed with a decision by Judge Michael Bohn that denied him parenting time with his 13-year-old son.

Dhondt was on home detention for a prior conviction at the time of the Mother’s Day crash. Prosecutors added that Dhondt had spray-painted “Fathers Matter!” on the back of his truck.

Dhondt testified during the hearing that he drove past the building and looked through the lobby windows before the crash. He claimed he drove his truck into the facility “in the safest way possible.”

Prosecutors disputed the claim, arguing there is no safe way to crash a vehicle into a public building and noting it was “only by the grace of God” that no one was killed or seriously injured.

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