Registered sex offender charged with raping, impregnating girl in Kentucky
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Scott Coomes allegedly met a 13-year-old girl online and drove to Kentucky to have sex.
- DNA testing showed a high chance that Coomes fathered the fetus from the encounter.
- Coomes is set for a federal arraignment Friday and a state jury trial beginning May 3.
A registered sex offender from Indiana faces federal charges after prosecutors say he drove to Kentucky and raped a 13-year-old girl.
The man, 31-year-old Scott Coomes, of Evansville, Ind., met up with the girl at a Trimble County home in July 2024. According to court documents, the girl was having a sleepover at a friend’s house, and Coomes came to the house and raped her.
The girl’s grandmother and caretaker reported the incident to police after learning she was pregnant. DNA evidence, cellphone records and interviews confirmed Coomes as the suspect.
Coomes was indicted April 16 on federal charges of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, attempted production of visual depictions involving a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, online enticement and felony offense involving a minor by a registered sex offender.
According to Indiana court records, Coomes also pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor in September 2015. A charge of child molestation involving a child younger than 14 was dismissed in the plea deal, and he was sentenced to four years of probation.
In the recent Kentucky case, the girl was interviewed by a detective in September 2024. She said she met Coomes online, and they started talking on Snapchat, according to court documents.
The girl told Coomes she was 13, and Coomes told her he was 16, when he was really 29, according to court documents. They agreed to meet while the girl spent the night at a friend’s house in Bedford.
Coomes repeatedly asked the girl to confirm that she was not a police officer while driving to the home, according to court documents.
In addition to DNA evidence, cellphone records placed Coomes near the home around 3 a.m. on the night of the incident, according to court documents. The friend hosting the sleepover also told detectives Coomes was the man who had come to the house.
Coomes had explicit photos of the girl on his phone and iPad, according to court documents.
Coomes is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the Eastern Kentucky District federal courthouse in Lexington.
In addition to the federal charges, Coomes is charged with second-degree rape and second-degree sodomy in Trimble Circuit Court. His jury trial is scheduled to begin May 3, according to court records.
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 11:54 AM.
