EAST CHICAGO MAN FOUND GUILTY IN CHILD MOLESTING CASE
CROWN POINT – Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter announced that a Lake County jury deliberated for less than two and a half hours before returning a guilty verdict in the case of State of Indiana v. Andres Solis Guerra (Cause #45G03-1704-FA-000001).
Guerra was found guilty on two felony counts:
• Child Molesting (Class A Felony)
• Child Molesting (Level 1 Felony)
The verdict comes after an investigation launched in 2017 by Detective Miguel Pena of the East Chicago Police Department, who was assigned to investigate reports of repeated sexual abuse involving a 13-year-old girl.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim told investigators that Guerra and his live-in girlfriend, Stephanie Alvarado, had been sexually abusing her from the age of 10 or 11 while she stayed at their East Chicago home. The affidavit detailed a pattern of abuse that occurred over several years and was discovered after the girl confided in her teacher, who immediately alerted law enforcement and child protective services.
Detective Pena’s investigation corroborated the victim’s statements through witness interviews and evidence, leading to charges being filed against Guerra and Alvarado in April 2017.
In his statement, Prosecutor Carter commended Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Michael Stewart and Arturo Balcazar for their outstanding work on the case, and gave special recognition to Detective Miguel Pena and the East Chicago Police Department for their persistence and professionalism in seeking justice for the victim.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 21, 2025, at 11 a.m. in Lake County Superior Court, Criminal Division 3.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
