‘He would kill them if they told anyone’: Anderson man charged with child abuse, exploitation and possession of child pornography

ANDERSON, Ind. — An Anderson man who previously spent decades behind bars is facing multiple new child sex crime charges after an investigation that spanned more than a year.

According to online court records, 71-year-old George William Cunitz is charged with two counts of child abuse (one is a Level 1 felony, the other a Level 4 felony), child exploitation (Level 4 felony), aggravated possession of child pornography (Level 5 felony) and harassment (Level 6 felony).

Booking photo of George Cunitz (APD)

This all stems from a case that took place in June 2023. According to the Anderson Police Department, on June 6 of that year, officers attended a Kid’s Talk where they were told by a 10-year-old child that they had been sexually abused by a neighbor when they were eight years old. This included intercourse, sexual contact, and the filming/photography of sexually explicit content.

Officers then asked the child if they had been told not to tell anyone. They confirmed this, saying, “He said he would kill (me) if (I) did that.”

The child described their attacker as a “tall, bald, old, white man.” They reportedly noted that he was currently in prison, but not for his crimes against the child.

Online court records confirm this information to be true. On May 19, 2021, Cunitz was charged with Failure to Return to Lawful Detention, a Level 6 Felony. He was subsequently sentenced to one year of execution by the Indiana Department of Corrections on May 13, 2022.

These charges stemmed from Cunitz allegedly cutting off his GPS monitor. According to Indiana Department of Corrections records, Cunitz was sentenced to 40 years in prison for armed robbery in 1998. However, Cunitz was eventually released on GPS monitoring.

While investigating the child abuse charges, Anderson police learned that the Frankfort Police Department had allegedly found an abandoned cell phone containing multiple images of a minor’s genitals. The phone was later traced to George Cunitz. According to APD, the Frankfort PD attempted to file charges against Cunitz, but the charges were dismissed because the search of the phone was deemed illegal.

With the new charges, Anderson police sought a search warrant for the phone, which reportedly yielded numerous nude photos of a young child. Photos of Cunitz were also reportedly found on the phone. Cuntiz reportedly told police that the child had taken the photos herself, but investigators said that would be “impossible” based on the angle of the photos.

The child abuse case against Cunitz was opened as a new filing on Sept. 7, 2023, online court records show. However, a warrant was not issued until Friday, and Cunitz had his first hearing on Monday. His next attorney conference is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 3.

If found guilty, Cunitz could face up to 40 years in prison.