Indianapolis Man Convicted of Promotion of Child Sex Trafficking

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind.–A man from Indianapolis with a criminal history was sentenced to 16 years in prison this week for promotion of child sexual trafficking, a level 3 felony.

52-year-old Deon McClendon was one of 22 men arrested as part of a three-day undercover child solicitation operation conducted in September 2024 by members of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office along with Franklin, Edinburgh, and Greenfield Police Departments.

Investigators say McClendon was arrested after communicating both text and phone to a female posing as a 15-year-old and traveled to Johnson County. McClendon said he wanted to take her to Indianapolis and have her engage in sex acts with adults for money.

Police say McClendon told the girl to pack an overnight bag and said he would teach her the tricks of the prostitution trade. After he was arrested, detectives say McClendon admitted to previously providing protection and guidance to prostitutes in the past and taking whatever they offered as payment.

McClendon has a criminal history spanning over the last 30 years. He has previous convictions for dealing in cocaine, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, domestic battery, invasion of privacy and promoting prostitution.

“Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and partnering agencies, who work tirelessly to identify, arrest, and charge individuals looking to exploit and victimize children, criminals like McClendon are caught and prosecuted. Fortunately, this is the first time we have seen this kind of case–a plan to use a child as a prostitute–here in Johnson County. The decade and a half sentence imposed by Judge Cummins will serve as a powerful deterrent to this kind of evil being plotted against our children,” said Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner.