Indianapolis firefighter charged with child solicitation

An Indianapolis firefighter was charged with child solicitation on Monday after his arrest in late November, which was part of a sting conducted by Johnson County law enforcement.  

Carl Wemple, 45, was among 21 men arrested in the operation, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. He is facing one count of child solicitation, court records show.  

After his arrest, Wemple was suspended from his job without pay indefinitely, pending the outcome of the legal process, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department. He has worked for the department for 17 years.  

Investigators arrested the 21 men after they traveled to meet with who they believed was a child for sex, according to the sheriff’s office.  

An undercover detective posed as a 14-year-old girl and posted an advertisement for sex online. Wemple responded to the ad and began messaging the undercover detective, who told Wemple he was an underage girl, according to the probable cause affidavit for Wemple’s arrest.  

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Wemple is accused of exchanging several sexual messages with who he believed was an underage girl then making plans to meet. He drove from Hancock County to a residence in Johnson County to meet after midnight on Nov. 29, the affidavit reads.  

Wemple was taken into custody at the home in Johnson County.  

During an interview after he was detained, Wemple stated he “messed up” and knew the person he thought he was meeting had indicated she was 14 or 15, according to the affidavit.  

An attorney for Wemple was not yet listed in online court records before publication of this article. An initial hearing in Wemple’s case has not yet been scheduled.  

IndyStar reporter Sarah Nelson contributed to this article.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.