Group of girls exploring remote cave stumble on felon’s hideout, Indiana cops say

In a scene straight out of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” a youth group exploring a cave stumbled onto a criminal’s hideout, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Fortunately, the convicted felon wasn’t there at the time, the DNR Division of Law Enforcement reported in a Feb. 14 Facebook post. The exact location of the cave was not revealed, but photos show it towers over a body of water.

“A girls youth group was surprised to discover this recently abandoned campsite and associated trash in a very remote cave on their property overlooking a high, rugged bluff,” the division wrote.

Clues led Indiana Conservation Officers to realize the mystery camper was “actually a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history.” State officials suspect he was using the site “for a good temporary hideout.”

The girls avoided contact because the man recently ventured out and got nabbed by law enforcement, officials said.

“Indiana Conservation Officers caught up with the homesteader in jail, as he is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges,” DNR officials said.

“ICOs informed him that he was trespassing and that his home on the Indiana frontier was being dismantled.”

The identity of the suspect was not revealed, and the state did not say when he was arrested.

Photos show his tent was cleverly set up just inside the cave’s entrance. He had changes of clothing, bottled water, dried food and the makings of a grill, too.

Camping in caves on private property is illegal, “regardless of posted signs or not,” DNR officials said.

“If you’re going to play mountain man, do it on your own property, or get permission first,” officials said.

This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 6:27 AM with the headline "Group of girls exploring remote cave stumble on felon’s hideout, Indiana cops say."