Background: The Hancock County Jail in Greenfield, Indiana (Hancock County Sheriff”s Office). Inset: Curtis Bordenkircher (Hancock County Sheriff’s Office).
An Indiana resident faces serious allegations of child abuse, involving accusations of physical assault, intimidation, and forcing children to stand in a corner for extended periods, leading to numbness in their legs.
Curtis Bordenkircher, aged 35, has been charged with four counts of neglect of a dependent through cruel confinement or abandonment, alongside two counts of intimidation involving threats of violent felonies. These charges were formally submitted this month, according to Hancock County Superior Court records, although the investigation initially began in October.
The suspect’s exact relationship to the victims remains unclear. The situation came to light when a child texted their mother for help, prompting law enforcement’s involvement. On October 15, deputies from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office visited the New Palestine residence, where they were informed of numerous accusations against Bordenkircher.
According to the criminal affidavit, reviewed by the Greenfield Daily Reporter, a girl alleged that Bordenkircher struck her with a belt, forced her to stand in a corner until her legs became numb, and berated her with derogatory terms like “dumb” and “disappointment.” Another girl recounted being shoved against a wall, grabbed by the neck, and repeatedly threatened.
The claims against Bordenkircher include even more menacing behavior.
One boy reported that Bordenkircher warned the children that he would “slaughter them in their sleep” if they didn’t “shut up,” brandishing a knife while making this threat. The boy expressed genuine fear that the man might act on these threats, as detailed in the court documents.
The children are said to have been made to stand in the corner of the home for up to six hours, and they would only sneak off to the bathroom if Bordenkircher left the house. “You all are in the corner until your legs are numb,” he allegedly told them, as well as “I have no sympathy for you. You stand all night.”
A fourth child told authorities that he had been “whipped” by Bordenkircher as he drank from a tall beer can. According to the kids, that behavior wasn’t uncommon for him.
“He drinks so much a day, and then he just gets mad at us,” one of the kids recounted, per Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN. “Beer, after beer, after beer.”
Bordenkircher posted a $600 cash bond on Nov. 6, and as part of the bond agreement, he signed a no-contact order concerning the four children. He is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial conference on Dec. 4.
New Palestine is a small town just east of Indianapolis.
