Darke County Press Release

DATE: March 27, 2006
FROM: Richard M. Howell, Prosecuting Attorney
Toby L. Spencer, Sheriff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Over the three day period of March 24th through March 26th, 2006 the Darke County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office, in a joint effort with a non-profit organization named Perverted-Justice and the nationally broadcasted news program, Dateline NBC, conducted a covert sting operation to catch internet sexual predators and combat pedophilia.

Over the last two weeks Perverted Justice volunteer contributors posed in internet chatrooms as juveniles between the ages of 13 and 15 residing in Darke County, Ohio. The contributors simply went into internet chatrooms with fake online screennames and waited for illegal sexual conduct. The predators had made arrangements to meet a posed juvenile for the explicit purpose of engaging in sexual conduct at a residence located in Greenville Township, Darke County, Ohio and rented by NBC. News correspondents and hidden cameras were waiting in the home as part of Dateline’s ongoing “To Catch a Predator” investigation into computer sex predators. This effort is expected to be subsequently aired by NBC as the fourth in its series.

Seventeen persons were arrested by Darke County Sheriff Deputies after leaving the home, and all have been charged with Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, a felony of the fourth or fifth degree depending on the ages of the perpetrator and of the victim. All seventeen are scheduled to appear in the Darke County Common Pleas Court beginning at 10:30 this morning. Additional charges against these persons, as well as against others not yet arrested appear likely.

Of the seventeen persons arrested, they reside as close as West Milton, and as far as Lexington, Kentucky, Euclid, Ohio and Ft. Wayne, Indiana. A list of all those arrested, their age, the actual charge against them, the degree of the charge and the age and sex of the posed victim is attached hereto.

Operation M.O.P. Results

Arrestee / Age / Charge / Degree / Age and sex of posed victim

Joshua L. Tuttle 20 AUSCw/aM F5 13 female
Franklin, OH

Nicholas L. Bailey 19 AUSCw/aM F5 13 female
Grove City, OH

Jason F. Schoeppner 21 AUSCw/aM F5 13 female
Columbus, OH

Nathan E. Downhour 23 AUSCw/aM F5 13 female
Montpelier, IN

Robb E. Kline 20 AUSCw/aM F5 13 female
Toledo, OH

Timothy E. Isaac 42 AUSCw/aM F4 15 female
Reynoldsburg, OH

James M. Rutherford 26 AUSCw/aM F4 13 female
Mainville, OH

Ronnell D. Stephens-tun 23 AUSCw/aM F4 13 female
Ft. Wayne, IN

Alonzo H. Wade 40 AUSCw/aM F4 15 female
Greenfield, OH

Davut Ozkan 27 AUSCw/aM F4 13 female
Euclid, OH

Mahadevaswamy A. 28 AUSCw/aM F4 13 female
Chandrashekaraiah
Lexington, KY

John W. Frantz 33 AUSCw/aM F4 14 female
West Milton, OH

Jay W. Reffner 30 AUSCw/aM F4 15 female
Findlay, OH

Kenneth J. Brinkman 43 AUSCw/aM F4 14 male
Kettering, OH

Jeffrey D. Stacy 27 AUSCw/aM F4 15 female
Lebanon, OH

Roger W. Brummit 25 AUSCw/aM F4 13 female
Defiance, OH

Kevin T. Westerbeck 47 AUSCw/aM F3 13 female
New Lebanon, OH

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As a resident of Ohio, I have been to many of these places. My son lived in Findlay for a short time. Unfortunately I'm not surprised that there are perverts in the Heartland. People here do have more of a sense of family than where I lived in So. Calif. and you'll see more churches than bars in most small towns, but evil is here nonetheless. I offer my heartfelt thanks to the people at PeeJ, because of them I can sleep better at night. I wonder how long it will take before parents really start paying attention to what their kids are doing online. I hope parents will start teaching their children cause and effect. There are consequences of acting irresponsibly, and some of them are severe. In a country that sexualizes our young in ads and films, we as parents need to guide our kids and counter bad influences. That's what being a parent means.

Paulina pondered at 5:06 am Tuesday

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