DANVILLE, Ind. -- Jurors deliberated more than seven hours Thursday before convicting a former Hendricks County resident on 26 counts of child molesting and sexual misconduct with a minor.
Stephen Serino, 37, of Spencer will be sentenced Dec. 13. Hendricks Superior Court Judge Karen Love revoked Serino's bond and ordered him held in the county jail.
Charges against Serino stem from relations with a Plainfield boy that occurred between 1997 and last summer.
The victim -- 11 at the time the molesting began -- said many of the incidents occurred when Serino would spend the night with his family after attending Wednesday night church services in Avon.
"This case was about the violation of a child's trust by a family friend who was a father figure in his life," said Chief Deputy Prosecutor Stephenie LeMay-Luken.
LeMay-Luken said the boy, who is now 15, displayed courage.
"He was embarrassed and didn't want to say it happened, and he didn't want to tell about it in front of strangers," she said.
"The victim came in and told his story. Serino didn't think that would happen," Deputy Prosecutor Maureen Devlin told jurors during closing arguments Thursday.
Serino still faces eight counts of child molesting and sexual misconduct with a minor in Owen County.
Three charges involve a 13-year-old boy with whom Serino worked in his post as a psychologist with Greene and Sullivan County Special Education Cooperative.
The other five charges involve the Plainfield boy. They stem from alleged events that took place when the boy visited Serino's home near Spencer.
Owen County Deputy Prosecutor Robert Andree said Serino's trial is tentatively set for Nov. 7.
Andree said another trial that day is likely to result in Serino's case being rescheduled.