Valpo man to stay at least a mile away from girl he is accused of molesting since kindergarten

Sep. 9—VALPARAISO — Bond was set Thursday morning at $5,000 cash for a 42-year-old Valparaiso man charged with two felony counts of child molesting after his 13-year-old accuser recently attempted suicide and told police she had repeatedly been abused by the man since she was in kindergarten.

If Daniel Kontos bonds out of jail, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor, stay at least one mile away from the alleged victim, take part in pretrial supervision and shall live in Westville with a brother rather than return home while his case proceeds, Porter Circuit Court Judge Mary DeBoer ordered.

Pleas of not guilty were entered on behalf of Kontos and a follow-up hearing was set for Nov. 2. The most serious count facing him carries a potential prison sentence of two to 12 years.

Valparaiso police have said, "V1 (victim) stated Kontos played a role game which involved her being the mom and Kontos being the dad."

The abuse reportedly occurred between the fall of 2013 and Feb. 14, 2021 at two homes where Kontos has lived in Valparaiso, according to the charges.

The girl voiced fear that Kontos would be mad about her coming forward about the abuse, according to a charging document.

"V1 stated she never told Kontos to stop touching her, but she did attempt to show him that this made her uncomfortable by pulling away from him," the document reads.

The girl said Kontos would cry when she rejected his touches, police said.

"V1 stated that she wore big clothes that hid her body so that Kontos would not sexualize her and, therefore, stop touching her," according to police.

She said Kontos would keep his girlfriends away when she was around, "citing that she was Kontos' favorite and he did not want to be distracted from spending time with her," a court document says.

The girl told police in February that she had recently attempted suicide and had left a note disclosing the abuse, police said.

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