Update: Court sets $250,000 bond for Evansville teen accused of multiple rapes

Content warning: This article discusses alleged instances of sexual assault.

EVANSVILLE — An Evansville teenager is accused of raping, choking or otherwise assaulting multiple young girls, according to six affidavits of probable cause filed Friday.

The girls reportedly told Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office deputies the teenager would force them to engage in sex despite repeated protests for him to stop. Some described multiple instances of sexual assault.

In the affidavits, a sheriff's office sergeant wrote there is probable cause to charge 18-year-old Luke Samuel Pokorney with six counts of rape, a Level 1 felony, two counts of strangulation, sexual battery, and battery – all Level 6 felonies.

At a hearing, a Vanderburgh County Circuit Court judge found there was probable cause to detain Pokorney until prosecutors file formal charges. The state has until Dec. 7 to decide which charges it would like to pursue.

The court set Pokorney's bond at $250,000 despite pleas from his defense attorneys to reduce the fee, citing his lack of criminal history.

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Pokorney is a Central High School senior and multi-sport athlete, according to publicly available information, and the alleged incidents occurred while Pokorney was still a minor, complicating the case's jurisdiction.

"In five cases, Pokorney was over the age of sixteen allowing for an automatic waiver into adult court," the sheriff's office stated in a news release. "The sixth will have to go to juvenile court and no further comment can be made in that case."

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Pokorney's defense attorneys, Barry Blackard and Dennis Brinkmeyer, said they were not aware of any official disciplinary action taken against their client by the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corp. — meaning that should Pokorney post bond, he could return to classes.

Friday afternoon, EVSC spokesman Jason Woebkenberg told the Courier & Press Pokorney would not be returning in-person to Central High School.

"We are fortunate to have options for learning that do not include the traditional brick-and-mortar setting," Woebkenberg said in a statement.

The school corporation would not comment on any potential disciplinary action, citing the ongoing investigation and that Pokorney's alleged offenses occurred off school grounds.

Alleged assaults spanned multiple years

At least six young girls reportedly told law enforcement officers that Pokorney forced, "manipulated" or otherwise pressured them into engaging in sex, according to the sworn affidavits. Two girls allegedly accused Pokorney of choking them, and one said he would push and shove her when he got angry.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office detectives and an Indiana Department of Child Services case worker conducted forensic interviews with the girls throughout November, the affidavits state.

During one of those interviews, a girl accused Pokorney of raping her in a basement despite telling him "'no' many times during the incident," deputies wrote. The girl also described an instance when Pokorney choked her against a wall, making it hard for her to breathe.

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The girl reportedly told deputies she began a relationship with Pokorney after he threatened to kill himself.

Another teenage girl who entered into a relationship with Pokorney said he would pressure her into performing sex acts and would "get mad if she would not do what he wanted," deputies wrote in one of the affidavits.

During a forensic interview, the girl reportedly said she would often wake up to find Pokorney sexually assaulting her while she slept. In 2021, after the relationship ended, she said Pokorney raped her despite repeatedly telling him "no" throughout the incident, the affidavit states.

"She advised that she had begun to realize (Pokorney) had been doing this to multiple girls," deputies wrote.

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According to investigators, at least four other girls accused Pokorney of forcing them to engage in sexual conduct, and all four said they told him to stop what he was doing throughout each alleged incident.

One girl reportedly told deputies Pokorney would get "defensive" and "aggressive" if she told him "no," the affidavits state.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at walter.harwood@courierpress.com with story ideas and questions. Twitter: @houston_whh