BROOKVILLE, Ind. — Two men — one from Cincinnati and another from Dearborn County, Indiana — have been charged in connection with an alleged "fight club" involving juveniles, the Dearborn County Prosecutor's Office said.
The prosecutor's office said in a release that the sheriff's office got a tip from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office about an eighth grader involved in fights in the Sunman area on Oct. 23. The following day, an Indiana Gaming Commission officer received a complaint from a concerned citizen about a "fight club" involving juveniles.
Videos posted to YouTube showed adults and people believed to be under the age of 18 participating in fighting matches.
"The videos online that capture these alleged crimes are very disturbing to say the least. They show young people, some of whom appear to be juveniles, engaging in brawls, sometimes with adults. At least one participant was a 14-year-old child," Prosecutor Lynn Deddens said in a release.
The officer interviewed a student at East Central Middle School, who told officials he was involved in the fights and had been injured in one match.
While reviewing the videos, the officer and a detective from the Dearborn County Sheriff's Office were able to determine that the fights took place near the intersection of Schwipps Road and Chalk Road in Manchester Township. When they went to the area, they found a metal cage that could be seen being used in the videos.
The two were also able to identify two people involved in conducting or promoting the matches. Nolan Roberts of Cincinnati and Damien Foster of Aurora were charged with failing to obtain a gaming license in connection with the fights.
"Unfortunately, according to the law, these crimes are only Class B Misdemeanors and will remain that way until the Indiana Legislature addresses the issue of unlicensed fights involving children," Deddens said. "Until such time, we will use the tools we do have to prosecute individuals involved in events of this nature to the fullest extent allowed by law."
Both Roberts' and Foster's bonds were set at $5,000 cash. Their next court date is set for Dec. 4.
