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Two Indicted On Importuning |
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Monday, 29 June 2009 |
By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
ST. MARYS — A St. Marys man last week was among two people indicted, including a Texas man, for allegedly soliciting sex from a minor via the Internet.
An Auglaize County grand jury Thursday indicted Jason W. Vanderpool, 30, 613 Jackson St., on one count of importuning, a fifth-degree felony. Vanderpool is accused of soliciting sex from someone whom he believed to be a 15-year-old girl but was actually a St. Marys police officer.
Vanderpool reportedly began chatting with the undercover officer May 27. He was arrest June 12 when officers executed an arrested warrant. During the arrest, officers seized a lap top, desk top and other media storage devices.
If convicted, Vanderpool faces a maximum of a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. He also, if convicted, would be subject to a sexual offender status hearing.
Shawn Patrick Harrington, 48, of Plano, Texas, also was indicted on one count of importuning, a fifth-degree felony. St. Marys Police Chief Greg Foxhoven said Harrington is a businessman who often travels to Ohio because of his job.
“He frequently travels to Ohio, especially Columbus and Lima,” Foxhoven said. “He was arrested at 7:30 p.m June 23 in St. Marys.”
Foxhoven said Harrington arrived in Columbus and traveled to St. Marys to pick up whom he believed to be a 15-year-old girl and take her to a hotel in Lima. Foxhoven said Harrington allegedly began chatting with an undercover officer May 21.
“It turned sexual pretty quickly,” Foxhoven said, noting undercover officers sent a photograph of a girl who was at the time 15 but is now an adult. “He in turn sent naked photos of himself and had a Web cam set up and was naked on the Web cam.”
Foxhoven said officers recovered an iPod, Blackberry, Web cam and lap top from Harrington following his arrest. Harrington is the ninth person in a little more than a year to be arrested as a result of importuning investigations launched by the St. Marys Police Department.
“Unfortunately it doesn’t surprise me,” Foxhoven said, noting Harrington also had a box of condoms in his possession.
If convicted, Harrington faces a maximum of a year in prison and a $2,500 fine. He also, if convicted, would be subject to a sexual offender status hearing. |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 15 July 2009 )
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