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On June 24, 2024, Vernon T. Bateman received a letter from Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Martha M. McDermott and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears notifying him they were facilitating a child support hearing against him on behalf of Dorothy Nicole Scales, a current resident of Las Vegas. DNA testing confirmed the child in question was indeed born to Dorothy N. Scales and Bateman.
There is only one glaring problem: At the time of conception and birth, Vernon T. Bateman was a ward of state, serving a 30-year sentence for a crime he did not commit. Scales was employed by the Indiana Department of Corrections through Aramark. Scales had the ability to withhold food and water from Vernon (who was in solitary confinement at the time), as well as the ability to write him up for any offense.
As state and federal laws make clear, inmates cannot consent to sexual intercourse with jail employees. In other words, Scales raped Bateman. Yet the case made its way through the courts and now the state is forcing Bateman to pay child support.
To add insult to injury, the state has taken no action to hold the rapist accountable. That’s why we’re urging all of our supporters and anyone with a conscience to call Hendricks County Prosecutor Loren P. Delp and demand that her office immediately charge Scales with rape. We are asking people to try to maintain a sense of professionalism while making the phone calls, despite the egregious nature of the situation.
Sample script
Name: Loren P. Delp
Phone: 317-745-9283
“Hello, my name is ______ and I am calling to urge you to press charges against Dorothy N. Scales for the rape of Vernon T. Bateman. The rape occcured around May 2008 at the Hamilton County Jail. The statute of limitations has not expired for several reasons. The primary reason is that newly-discovered DNA evidence extended any prior statute of limitations for one year. It is not too late to do the right thing.
Can your office please look into this matter immediately and let me know your decision?
Thank you so much.”
Featured image: Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center. Source: Wikimedia Commons.