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Insets, from left: Damien Foster and Nolan Roberts (Dearborn County Prosecutor”s Office). Background: Video of the “Hillbilly Boxing” club in Indiana (Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office).
Two men are facing misdemeanor charges in Indiana for allegedly organizing a fight club called “Hillbilly Boxing,” where minors were reportedly made to fight in a cage set up in a rural field.
Nolan Roberts and Damien Foster are accused of not securing a gaming license for these events. The Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office received a tip last month involving an eighth-grade student from East Central Middle School, who was reportedly participating in these fights happening in the Sunman area, located in southeastern Indiana.
The Indiana Gaming Commission also received a complaint mirroring these allegations. Investigators uncovered at least eight videos on YouTube allegedly showing participants, some minors, engaged in boxing matches. Police interviewed the 14-year-old eighth grader, who admitted to being featured in the videos and reported sustaining injuries during one of the fights.
Authorities pinpointed the location of these fights, discovering a metal cage set up in a field. Prosecutors claim that Roberts and Foster were behind the promotion of these matches. To legally host such events, they needed to acquire a license from the Indiana Gaming Commission to ensure the safety and regulation of the fights.
“The videos circulating online depicting these alleged activities are deeply troubling. They feature young individuals, some appearing to be minors, involved in physical altercations, sometimes with adults. Alarmingly, one of the participants was a 14-year-old child,” commented Prosecutor Lynn Deddens.
Deddens said she was disappointed by the fact that prosecutors could only charge them with misdemeanors “until the Indiana Legislature addresses the issue of unlicensed fights involving children.”
“Until such time, we will use the tools we do have to prosecute individuals involved in events of this nature to the fullest extent allowed by law,” she said.
The suspects have since posted a $5,000 bond. Their next court date is scheduled for Dec. 4.