UPDATED: 'Broken' Hughes draws 22-year sentence

INDIANAPOLIS – A “broken” Darrell Hughes was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 22 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting teens he met through his work as a school counselor.

The 57-year-old Muncie man was arrested in January 2014 by federal agents who alleged he had, among other things, used hidden cameras to take nude photos of boys he had brought to his West Charles Street home.

In U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Hughes formally pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

The youths identified in the formal charges and others said Hughes had provided them with marijuana, alcohol and money in what Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve DeBrota called “long-standing grooming” of victims.

Hughes came into contact with the boys as a special services counselor for New Castle Schools and Henry County Community Corrections.

“It appears you preyed on vulnerable boys,” U.S. District Court Judge William Lawrence, who imposed a 262-month sentence, told Hughes. “Your disgusting and immature conduct is deplorable.”

Hughes said he was “deeply ashamed” and “a broken man,” also acknowledging he should never have pursued work as a youth counselor.

“My mistakes have devastated and changed lives forever,” he said. “I will forever have flashes of the faces in my mind. ... All I can do is pray for healing to take place.”

The Muncie man – clad in a green prison jumpsuit, wearing handcuffs that were secured to a chain around his waist – also said he wanted to “change my thoughts, my feelings, my actions, whatever it takes.”

Public defender William Dazey suggested the judge impose a minimum sentence of 15 years, saying his client over the years had helped other students he didn’t target for exploitation.

“I’d argue the rest of his life amounts to something,” Dazey said.

DeBrota recommended a 25-year sentence, noting Hughes’ “multiple victims over a long period of time”.

“He never should have been in a position to do this, but he put himself in that position,” he added.

Most federal inmates serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before being paroled. Hughes said once released, he intended to move to California and live with his cousin.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Hughes also agreed to pay each of the three victims identified in the charges $10,000.

The attorneys told Lawrence that Hughes has participated in the production of a video to be shown to school officials, offering them advice on how to recognize sexual predators.

The same federal grand jury that indicted Hughes in 2014 also indicted Michael Fleming, who had been director of the New Castle office of the Indiana Department of Family Services, and a member of the New Castle Community School Board.

Fleming was accused of providing false testimony to a grand jury when he denied having heard reports of Hughes’ misconduct. He pleaded guilty in February 2015 and was placed on probation for three years.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.