The Lake County Sheriff’s Department arrested a Schneider Deputy Town Marshal Wednesday afternoon for allegedly luring a 16-year-old to play increasingly inappropriate games of “Truth or Dare,” the sheriff announced Wednesday night.
Colin Dwyer-Keon, 32 of Hammond, is charged with one count of child solicitation of a minor between 14 and 16 years of age, a Level 5 felony; and five felony counts of possession of Child Sexual Assault Material for having or accessing pornographic images of children younger than 18 years old, including one child younger than 12, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Pam Jones said in a release.
Dwyer-Keon is being held without bond at the Lake County Jail, Jones said. His initial hearing is set for Thursday afternoon.
Earlier this month, a Lake County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit detective spoke with a teen who said Dwyer-Keon had hired him in June 2024 to work for his bounce house and party rental company, Jones said. Within a few weeks, the teen told the detective that Dwyer-Keon started offering them cash for work but then eventually got them to play “Truth or Dare,” with Dwyer-Keon daring the victim to undress and expose themself, she said.
The victim told the detective the incidents happened at Dwyer-Keon’s Hammond home near Purdue Northwest, at a hotel when they were working a fair in Fowler, Indiana, and at a Merrillville storage facility, according to court records. In one instance, the victim said Dwyer-Keon recorded video of the teen relieving himself in the hotel room.
The victim said he felt pressured by Dwyer-Keon to do what he asked or be insulted, court records state. Dwyer-Keon later told the teen to not talk to others about the “Truth or Dare” games.
The teen said he stopped working for Dwyer-Keon in late July, but worked for three days of the Lake County Fair in August 2024, according to court records. He told police that he quit because he was receiving unfair wages.
The detective got a search warrant and retrieved Dwyer-Keon’s cell phone, which contained more than a dozen child sexual abuse images, with some children appearing as young as 5 years old, court records state.
“The crimes described in this case are simply appalling,” Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in the release. “Those who take an oath to serve and protect should never exploit or victimize anyone — especially children. I commend our investigators for their professionalism, skill and persistence in bringing these charges forward.”
Aside from owning Lakefront Specialty Entertainment LLC and serving as a deputy marshal for Schneider, Dwyer-Keon previously was also a town marshal for Winfield and Lakes of the Four Seasons, according to his LinkedIn page. He was also employed part-time with the Purdue University Northwest police at one point, Jones said.
In an email, Purdue Northwest spokesman Kale Wilk wrote that “Colin Dwyer-Keon is no longer employed at Purdue University Northwest. The university does not comment on personnel matters.”
The investigation is ongoing, so anyone who believes Dwyer-Keon may have victimized them should contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit at 219-755-3355.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.