Former rape counselor among 14 arrested in child sex sting case, Ohio officials say
A former counselor at a rape crisis center and a preschool teacher were among 14 people arrested last weekend in an undercover child sex investigation, according to Ohio police and media reports.
The four-day investigation, called “Operation: Unsportsmanlike Conduct,” was through the police department in Jackson Township, which is in between Canton and Akron, police said. Various state and local agencies also assisted, according to WOIO-TV
The 14 arrested suspects aged 20 to 73 are accused of soliciting undercover police officers who posed as 15-year-old boys and girls, according to WJW-TV. Each of the suspects agreed to meet who they thought was a juvenile for sexual activity, WEWS-TV reported.
The officers set up a location to meet with the suspects one-by-one, and they were taken into custody upon arrival, WEWS reported. Online chats through various social media apps were used by police to nab the suspects, according CantonRep.com.
One of the men, Adam Leidtke, 48, worked from March 2017 to May 2018 as a counselor at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Cleveland.com reported. He is charged with importuning, which is a fifth-degree felony, according to the outlet
“Cleveland Rape Crisis Center has had no contact with (Leidtke) since his employment with the agency ended,” Sondra Miller, CEO of the rape crisis center, said in a statement to Cleveland.com. “Sexual violence is inexcusable whenever and wherever it happens. It’s especially inexcusable when perpetrated by someone who is a helper.”
Jerry Ragsale, a preschool teacher at YWCA in Canton, was also arrested in the sting, WEWS reported. The school told the TV station he “has been placed on unpaid administrative leave.”
One of the arrested suspects urinated in his clothing ”because he was so scared during the arrest,” police said, according to WOIO-TV. Others “sent nude photos of themselves” to the undercover officers and some came to the location with condoms or lubrication, CantonRep.com reported.
“These offenders are preying on the vulnerability and curiosity of these children to victimize them not through force or coercion or the promise of money, but by simple grooming techniques and pretending to be interested in them,” Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Brink said in a statement to CantonRep.com.
Each of the “suspects could face months in jail,” WOIO reported.