A Noblesville man who was working as a custodian at Promise Road Elementary School was arrested Aug. 15 for reportedly possessing and disseminating child pornography.
Samuel Barnette, 41, was arrested at his home in the 400 block of S. 14th St. after the Noblesville Police Dept. began investigating a reported case of possessing child pornography. Barnette was arrested on preliminary charges of 10 counts of possession of child pornography and 10 counts of disseminating child pornography. Both are Class C felony charges.
Barnette has been terminated from his position at the school as a substitute custodian during his probationary period. He was in the process of being hired as a full-time custodian on the night shift.
In a letter sent to parents, Promise Road Principal Kelly Trienen wrote “I assure you that the safety of your children is our No. 1 priority. Noblesville Schools conducts full background checks on all prospective employees. In this case, we not only completed a background check that came back clean, but we participated fully with the Noblesville Police Dept. in their investigation. Neither our records nor the police department’s records show any history of this sort.”
Investigators are encouraging anyone with information regarding this case to contact the Criminal Investigation Division of the Noblesville Police Department, by calling 776-6371 and asking for Det. Sgt. Robert Busalacchi.