LANCASTER, Ohio — A Fairfield County grand jury has indicted a registered sex offender after police say he attempted to entice an 11-year-old child to his vehicle during Lancaster’s annual Trick-or-Treat event late last month.
Russell Pierce Jr. was indicted on Wednesday, Nov. 4, on one felony count of Criminal Child Enticement, a fifth-degree felony under Ohio Revised Code 2905.05.
According to the Lancaster Police Department, officers were dispatched to the area of West Sixth Avenue and Washington Avenue at approximately 7:17 p.m. on Oct. 29. Dispatchers had received reports of a man driving a blue minivan who was attempting to lure children to his vehicle by offering them candy.
Upon arriving in the neighborhood, responding officers spotted the blue minivan parked along West Sixth Avenue near Washington Avenue with its headlights turned off.
During their initial investigation, officers determined that Pierce had approached an 11-year-old child and asked them to come over to his van to get candy. The child refused and ran away to safety.
Officers also discovered during the stop that Pierce is a registered sex offender. Establishing probable cause at the scene, police placed Pierce under arrest and transported him to the Fairfield County Jail, where he was formally booked.
Following Wednesday’s grand jury indictment, the criminal case against Pierce now moves forward to the Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas for prosecution.
As with all criminal proceedings, the charge against Pierce is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
