Docs: Former Wayne Township Fire Department employee committed sexual battery against co-worker at firehouse

Note: This story contains descriptions of alleged incidents of sexual battery and reader discretion is advised.

INDIANAPOLIS — A former Wayne Township Fire Department employee has been charged with sexual battery, criminal confinement and battery.

According to an affidavit for probable cause filed Tuesday, the charges Garry Stutzman faces stem from a string of alleged incidents that happened at a WTFD firehouse from February 2022 through the first half of 2024.

Court records indicate Stutzman was friendly and somewhat flirtatious with one of his co-workers. On one occasion, Stutzman allegedly kissed and cuddled with the co-worker.

Stutzman’s advances, however, later escalated to a level his co-worker was not comfortable with. According to court documents, Stutzman performed oral sex with his co-worker. The victim later reported that activity was not consensual.

Per police reporting on the initial incident, Stutzman became upset his co-worker did not reciprocate the sex acts he had performed, saying, “What, you’re not going to do it back?”

The victim told police they had attempted to cut off communication with Stutzman after the first incident. Stutzman eventually re-established contact with his co-worker, saying that he was leaving WTFD for a new job.

According to court documents, Stutzman then went on to say that he wanted to work with the victim one last time. After an emergency run during their shift that evening, both had changed out of their gear and put on sweatpants.

As the pair was walking up some stairs, Stutzman allegedly slapped the victim on the butt and attempted to pull their sweatpants down. Per court records, the victim then pulled their pants up and headed to their bunkroom.

Later that day, Stutzman asked to speak with the victim. Believing he was going to apologize for slapping their butt, the victim agreed to meet in the hallway to speak with him.

According to police records, the victim met Stutzman in the hallway, where he then picked them up and carried them into his bedroom. The victim told police Stutzman threw them on his bed and began to try to force them to kiss him.

Court records show the victim freed themselves from Stutzman’s grasp and then attempted to brush their teeth and go to sleep. When the victim attempted to return to their room, however, they noticed their door was propped open with a chair.

The victim checked their room to ensure nobody had entered. About five minutes later, the victim heard the door click.

According to police documents, the victim told police Stutzman had entered their room and attempted to put their hand on his genitals. The victim added that Stutzman tried to push their head down and demanded he was owed oral sex.

Per court records, Stutzman ultimately tried to bend the victim over and pull down their sweatpants. When the victim said, “We’re not doing this,” Stutzman replied, saying, “Yes, we are. This is our last chance,” according to police reporting on the incident.

The victim began to speak loudly during their run-in with Stutzman, and that ultimately got him to stop. After the incident, the victim didn’t receive any correspondence from Stutzman.

The victim went on to file reports with WTFD leadership and IMPD. When IMPD detectives asked Stutzman to report to a police station for an interview regarding a sexual battery case, Stutzman agreed to do so.

According to court documents, Stutzman texted the victim soon after police reached out to him. One of the texts he sent said, “Will involve my kids, that’s what is making my mind unease. If you don’t want to talk real quick, just ignore me. I won’t text no more.”

IMPD reported that, on June 27, investigators received a call from Stutzman’s attorney, who indicated Stutzman would not be making any statements about the allegations.

The Wayne Township Fire Department released the following statement on the alleged incidents involving Stutzman:

The Wayne Township Fire Department is aware of a situation that occurred between an employee and former civilian employee at a fire station. Our employee reported an alleged sexual assault to leadership, and we immediately encouraged (them) to file a report with the
police. The Township continues to provide support to the employee, and we are doing everything possible to assist the authorities with the investigation.

Sexual assault is a heinous crime that has no place in our society, and we strongly condemn any
form of harassment or violence. We are committed to creating a safe and respectful workplace
environment for all our employees, and we take these allegations very seriously.

We are actively working with the authorities to investigate this matter. We will do whatever is
necessary to assist in the investigation, but we will not be making additional comments out of
respect the legal process.

Wayne Township Fire Department

The most serious charges Stutzman faces — sexual battery and criminal confinement — are both Level 6 Felonies. The maximum penalty for a Level 6 Felony in the Hoosier State is a 2.5-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000.