MARION, IN (WISH/CNN) - Nicholas Deon Thrash was no stranger to the young girl he's accused of molesting and impregnating.
"It's not the type of person that you'd think would do something like this," said the girl's grandmother, who didn't provide her name.
In fact, he was living with the girl's mother.
Thrash was arrested Wednesday on 10 felony counts of child molestation, WTHR reported.
Extended family say they met Thrash multiple times.
"We invited him into our home. He helped my husband all he could," the girl's grandmother said.
But now he's behind bars, and family says the young girl is 20 weeks pregnant.
"Now her whole life has changed. She's scared, being this far along and having to carry this baby," the girl's grandmother said.
Family members are caring for the girl while her mother is in jail in connection with the case.
They say it's heartbreaking watching someone so young go through this.
"She comes out and asks, 'Can I get my Barbies?' I said, 'Of course you can.' She is still a little girl that wants to play that has to grow up overnight," the girl's grandmother said.
It's something that's not easy for this woman to talk about, but she says she wanted to, hoping this will inspire other parents to talk with their children, possibly preventing something like this from happening to another child.
"Teach your kids to have enough trust in you to come to you and say 'This is wrong. Help,'" said the grandmother.
Sandy Runkle, director of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, said having those conversations with your kids is important. She said parents should also be cautious of adults who want to spend too much alone time with a certain child.
Runkle said about 90 percent of the time the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts.
The grandmother said Thrash was someone they trusted.
"I hope he gets what’s coming to him. He’s got to pay for this," said the grandmother.
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