Impd Chaplain Charged with Patronizing Prostitute, Intimidation
By Justin L. Mack
A longtime police chaplain is facing criminal charges after being accused of paying for sex with a prostitute. John Robert Fiers, 53, Indianapolis, has been charged in Marion County with two counts of patronizing a prostitute and one count of intimidation, all misdemeanors. The investigation began on April 22 when an IMPD vice officer conducted a human trafficking and prostitution investigation at a Motel 6 in the 8300 block of Bash Street. A woman at the motel told police that she knew police were conducting the investigation even before she was arrested on a prostitution charge, court documents said. She said that the day before a man she knew only as “Bob from Noblesville” showed her his IMPD badge and told her that he was a chaplain. The woman told police that “Bob” made three appointments with her between April 16 and April 21 and that he paid $120 each time, court documents said. He told her he was a chaplain after having sex during the second appointment. After telling the woman what he did for a living, Fiers also told the woman that he knew where she lived and what her house looked like, court documents said. When the woman asked Fiers why he went looking for her personal information, he responded by saying “so that you can’t incriminate me because I can incriminate you,” court documents said. The woman told police she decided to stop seeing Fiers after the third appointment because she was concerned that he was a “control guy,” court documents said. She also said that she was worried that Fiers might hurt her if she saw him again. On June 3, the woman identified Fiers as “Bob” after being shown a photo array. Later that day, Fiers admitted during a police interview that he had been looking at the Backpage website every other day for about two years for “vicarious thrills,” court documents said. He said he was looking for a massage therapist on the site to alleviate chronic pain in his thighs. Fiers said the first time he contacted a prostitute on Backpage was in August 2014, court documents said. The woman police arrested at the Motel 6 was the third woman he had contact with from the site. In addition to Backpage, Fiers said he would visit websites such as the recently hacked Ashley Madison site, court documents said. As a volunteer chaplain, Fiers was not on the IMPD payroll, officials said. Lt. Richard Riddle said he does not expect Fiers' services to be used in the future. When contacted by phone Tuesday, Fiers told The Star that he had no comment. A message seeking comment has been left with his attorney, James Voyles. In a biography that has since been deleted from the Worldwide Fellowship of Independent Christian Churches website, Fiers is credited as a founding member and the treasurer-general of the organization. Court documents say he began his career as a volunteer chaplain with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 and joined the IMPD in 2007. He joined the Indiana Guard Reserve in 2006 and served as deputy state chaplain. From 2009 to 2012, he worked at Camp Atterbury mobilizing and demobilizing troops to and from Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Egypt, Bosnia and Africa, the deleted biography says. For his contribution to the welfare of demobilizing soldiers, he was given the Distinguished Service Award by the Indiana National Guard, the biography says. Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack. Contact: justin.mack@Indystar.com
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