Greencastle man at center of sex crimes against children released on bond

Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 12:15 PM

By Paul Gable

A Greencastle man who is facing serious charges against children is back on the streets after posting bond.

According to court documents, Lucas Varvel, 25, Greencastle, is facing five Level 4 felony counts of child exploitation, one Level 5 felony count of possession of child porn and one Level 6 felony count of possession of child porn.

However, he is out of the Marion County Jail after posting a $16,000 bond recently.

Varvel drew the suspicion of officials with the Indianapolis Metro Police Department in 2024 when a detective followed up on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

According to police, the tip came from the Kik platform and alleged that several files of child sex abuse material were uploaded in private chats on the site in November 2024. Police allege Varvel was the user and uploaded images and videos of children in sexual situations. An investigation determined Varvel also had multiple CSAM files uploaded on his Google account.

Varvel is set to return to court in Marion County on July 13 and is tentatively scheduled for a trial eight days later.