Mar. 27—The 55-year sentence given to a Kokomo man guilty of child molesting was upheld by the Indiana Appeals Court.

The court ruled this month that former Howard County Superior Court 2 Judge Brant Parry did not err in sentencing Wayne Jewell to almost the maximum allowed.

In March 2023, a jury found Jewell, 55, guilty of two counts of child molesting and child exploitation, all felonies.

According to court documents and trial testimony, Jewell molested C.R., a 13-year-old, multiple times by paying the teen in money, an iPhone and an Xbox to have the teen participate in oral sex. Jewell also photographed the teen naked while the teen was showering at least three times and fondled the teen multiple times.

Following his conviction, Jewell appealed, arguing the court’s sentence was too harsh.

In his appeal, Jewell argued he did not use force or threat of force on the teen and that his sentence “amounts to a life sentence” and is thus “inappropriate” given the facts surrounding the crime.

“Appellant is not making light of the seriousness of Jewell’s convictions; rather that the corresponding sentence is inappropriate based on the facts and circumstances of the case,” Jewell’s appeal argues.

The Indiana Court of Appeals, though, did not agree.

The appeals court noted that because Jewell broke the trust of the family and used “bribery and falsehoods … we do not consider his lack of use of force to merit a reduced sentence.”

The Court of Appeals also cited Jewell’s previous conviction of child molesting in 2006. Jewell was sentenced in that case to 63 years in prison.

Some of his convictions, however, were later dismissed and reduced by appeals court actions. He was out on parole and had completed four years of sex offender treatment before committing the most recent offense.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.