A West Liberty man, who was the subject of a joint local and federal investigation, was charged with multiple sex offenses in an indictment handed up Tuesday, Sept. 9, by a Logan County grand jury.
Jeremiah J.W. Monk, 21, of West Liberty, faces three counts of first-degree felony rape; six counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, fourth-degree felonies; and misdemeanor sexual conduct with an animal.
The alleged rape victim was under the age of 13, according to authorities.
He was arrested Aug. 27 after a joint FBI and Logan County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
Agents in Pittsburgh, Pa., informed local detectives the suspect had sent child sexual abuse material to a suspect in Pittsburgh.
A search warrant was obtained and served by deputies on Monk’s residence with assistance from the Logan County Children’s Services. Multiple electronic devices were seized and removed from the residence.
Monk was taken into custody and lodged in the Logan County Jail where he remains.
• Todd D. Wolf, 62, of Franklin, has been charged via indictment with rape, a first-degree felony, and gross sexual imposition, a fourth-degree felony.
He allegedly assaulted an adult female victim July 7 in a camper while in the Lakeview area.
The case was investigated by the sheriff’s office.
Three men charged in separate assaults
Dallas C. Red, 35, of Lakeview, was indicted for felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor domestic violence for allegedly striking his father in the face on Aug. 28.
The father reportedly sustained a broken jaw and lost teeth as a result of the altercation.
Red remains lodged in jail.
• Grand jury members charged Charles L. Morris, 49, of Milford Center, with strangulation, a third-degree felony; strangulation, a fourth-degree felony; disrupting public services, a fourth-degree felony; misdemeanor assault;
and misdemeanor aggravated menacing.
He allegedly assaulted his girlfriend Aug. 13 while staying in a camper along Township Road 99 near Huntsville. He also allegedly threatened to kill her.
He remains lodged in jail.
• Benjamin L. Chamberlin, 24, of West Liberty, was indicted for felonious assault, a second-degree felony; and misdemeanor domestic violence.
On Aug. 19, he injured a woman and threatened to kill himself at a residence in the 300 block of State Route 508.
The victim sustained broken ribs when the defendant picked her up and threw her to the ground.
Chamberlin barricaded himself in the basement of the residence but exited peacefully within an hour.
A loaded handgun was recovered from his waistband when deputies took him into custody.
He remains in jail.
Other indictments
• Herbert R. Simon Jr., 50, of Bellefontaine: possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony; and misdemeanor illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia;
• Cody J. Thatcher, 32, of Dowagiac, Mich.: aggravated possession of drugs, a fifth-degree felony;
• William H. Watts, 23, of Greenville: two counts of theft, fifth-degree felonies; and theft from a person in a protected class, a fourth-degree felony;
• Austin P. Swartz, 30, of Greenville: two counts of theft, fifth-degree felonies; and theft from a person in a protected class, a fourth-degree felony;
• Miles X. Harte, 21, of East Liberty: trafficking in marijuana, a fourth-degree felony; aggravated trafficking in drugs, a second-degree felony; possession of marijuana, a fifth-degree felony; aggravated possession of drugs, a second-degree felony; and specifications for forfeiture of a motor vehicle and cash;
• David C. Taggart, 36, of Bellefontaine: possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony;
• Christine N. McComas, 46, of Bellefontaine: possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony;
• Erick A. Garrison, 36, of Bellefontaine: failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer, a fourth-degree felony; and
• Isabel Leonard, 25, of Bellefontaine: two counts of theft of drugs, fourth-degree felonies; and two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, fifth-degree felonies.
