PORT CLINTON, OH — An Ottawa County grand jury has indicted 10 men and seven other suspected child predators remain under investigation following a multi-agency undercover sting, Ottawa County Prosecutor James VanEerten announced Wednesday.
The arrests were made during a three-day law enforcement initiative (Sept. 24–26) dubbed Operation Lifeboat. The operation was conducted jointly by the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the sheriff’s office, and the Catawba Island Township Police Department.
Posing as minors
Investigators created undercover profiles posing as children between the ages of 13 and 15 across various online platforms.
According to officials, suspects who initiated contact and expressed intent to engage in sexual acts traveled to pre-arranged physical locations believing they were meeting a child. Several suspects offered money in exchange for sexual conduct.
“Online exploitation of children is a serious and evolving threat,” said Ottawa County Prosecutor James VanEerten. “We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who seek to harm children in all of our communities.”
The initiative follows last year’s Operation Safe Harbor, a similar four-day undercover sting that resulted in the arrest, conviction, and imprisonment of 10 individuals, the news release sai
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Grand jury indictments
Note: An indictment is merely a formal charge filed in court and does not denote the guilt or innocence of the accused. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Gregory Hart, 72 (Catawba Island Township)
Charges: Importuning, Possession of Criminal Tools, Attempted Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material.
William Haidle, 63 (Port Clinton)
Charges: Importuning, Compelling Prostitution, Possessing Criminal Tools, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Tampering with Evidence.
Michael Staffiero, 43 (Amherst)
Charges: Importuning, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Attempted Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material, Attempted Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor, Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles.
Alexander Strautmann, 30 (Westlake)
Charges: Importuning, Attempted Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Compelling Prostitution, Possessing Criminal Tools, Tampering with Evidence.
David Carpenter, 61 (Waterford)
Charges: Importuning, Possessing Criminal Tools, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor.
Chad Mutchler, 56 (Loudonville)
Charges: Importuning, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Possessing Criminal Tools.
Lawrence Will, 70 (South Rockwood, Michigan)
Charges: Importuning, Attempted Corrupting Another with Drugs, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Compelling Prostitution, Possessing Criminal Tools, Attempted Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material.
Timothy Rawson, 53 (Sunbury, Ohio)
Charges: Importuning, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Possessing Criminal Tools.
Anthony Moreno, 22 (Toledo)
Charges: Importuning, Compelling Prostitution, Possessing Criminal Tools, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor.
Lakshmi Anbalagan, 42 (Delaware, Ohio)
Charges: Importuning, Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Possessing Criminal Tools.
Ongoing investigations
Prosecutor VanEerten noted that active investigations remain open on at least seven additional individuals identified during the operation, with further charges possible
