Aaron Angelini

Probable Cause Affivadit Summary

The affidavit states that the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Indiana Department of Child Services after receiving a report involving communications between Aaron J. Angelini, then 37 years old, and a 16-year-old female cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. The complaint alleged that Angelini, identified as a Wing Commander, had sent nude photographs of himself to the juvenile via cellphone.

Investigators interviewed the juvenile at Susie’s Place, a child advocacy center. According to the affidavit, she reported that:

• Angelini sent her a photograph of himself without clothing through Snapchat.
• She and Angelini exchanged messages that she described as sexual in nature.
• They had discussed her age and both understood their communications were inappropriate.

The detective states that a forensic examination of the juvenile’s cellphone uncovered evidence of an extended pattern of communications. According to the affidavit, those communications included:

• messages describing cuddling and sexual arousal,
• requests that the juvenile remove her clothes and send photographs,
• discussions about getting married.

Although the juvenile initially stated that the photographs she received did not expose Angelini’s genitals, the detective says additional evidence suggested otherwise. The affidavit cites text messages the juvenile allegedly sent to a friend on May 10, 2024, stating she had received a photograph of Angelini lying in bed naked while holding his penis.

The friend was later interviewed and, according to the affidavit, confirmed that the juvenile had told her about receiving nude photographs. The witness said she had seen one image showing Angelini standing unclothed in a bathroom with his genitals obscured by what appeared to be a bottle, though she said she did not view the fully nude image because she did not want to.

During a follow-up interview, the juvenile allegedly stated that she had received another Snapchat photograph approximately three months earlier while at her home in Monroe County. She described that image as depicting Angelini holding his erect penis.

The affidavit also notes that detectives scheduled an interview with Angelini. According to the detective, Angelini later canceled the interview and instructed investigators to contact his attorney instead. The detective then requested an arrest warrant for Level 6 Felony Dissemination of Matter Harmful to a Minor under Indiana Code 35-49-3-3.

The case is headed to a trial by jury in 2027.

CAP Response

To date, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters has not issued a public statement regarding Colonel Aaron J. Angelini. Following the allegations, the Great Lakes Region Commander at the time, Colonel Rose Hunt, instructed members of the Indiana Wing not to discuss the matter, effectively prohibiting public or internal discussion of the allegations.

Indiana Wing members and the parents of cadets were not notified of the alleged misconduct. According to multiple accounts, Civil Air Patrol’s legal counsel directed local leadership not to notify parents of cadets regarding the allegations.

There is no indication that Civil Air Patrol conducted an effort to determine whether additional cadets may have been affected or were potential victims.

Rather than proceeding with an internal disciplinary investigation, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters permitted Colonel Angelini to resign his membership, ending his affiliation with the organization without a publicly disclosed internal adjudication.