A Columbus man will serve prison time for charges relating to inappropriate sexual contact with an underage boy at a city park.
John Flood, 23, was sentenced in Logan County Common Pleas Court to 12 months in prison for fourth- and fifth-degree felonies including unlawful sexual conduct with a minor; pandering obscenity involving a minor; and importuning.
The defendant is also classified as a Tier II sexual offender, requiring him to report his address to law enforcement every six months for the next 25 years.
Additionally, Flood was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine, restitution in the amount of $2,119 and court costs.
The sex offender will also be subjected to five years’ post-release control upon his release from prison.
A Logan County Grand Jury previously indicted Flood on charges that also included rape and abduction. He pleaded guilty in October to the amended charges.
He was arrested in the early morning hours of June 29 near the Hoffman Pool in the area of 525 E. Williams Ave. after officers of the Bellefontaine Police Department observed his vehicle parked in the parking lot after hours.
Officers observed Flood in the back seat of the vehicle with a 14-year-old boy, and claimed at the time he did not know the boy’s age. The victim reportedly told police he met the defendant through a social media app and they arranged to meet at the park.
The victim told police the two had engaged in unlawful sexual contact inside the vehicle.
Cell phones were seized at the time, and social media conversations were collected as evidence.
The defendant has been turned over to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, and credited with five days’ jail credit.