A Bellefontaine High School choir teacher is facing a felony charge after police say he used a dating app to try to arrange a sexual meeting with someone he believed was a 15-year-old boy. Brice Henry, 33, was arrested October 4 at a Love's Travel Stop in Bellefontaine, where officers encountered multiple witnesses, complainants and Henry himself.
Henry was initially booked into the Logan County Jail on suspicion of importuning, but discussions with the Logan County Prosecutor's Office led authorities to elevate the primary charge to attempted sexual conduct with a minor, according to Peak of Ohio. As reported by Cleveland.com, police said Henry used the app to communicate with a person he thought was a 15-year-old boy before the planned meeting fell apart at the travel stop.
Court Sets $100,000 Bond, Limits Contact With Minors
Henry appeared via video feed from the Logan County Jail during an October 7 hearing in Bellefontaine Municipal Court. Judge Jacob Estes ordered a $100,000 bond and prohibited unsupervised contact with minors, per the same Peak of Ohio account. The judge also appointed public defender Peter DeSoma to represent Henry and scheduled a preliminary hearing for October 14.
Under Ohio Revised Code § 2907.04, sexual conduct with a minor aged 13 to 15 by an offender who is 10 or more years older is classified as a third-degree felony, according to Womenslaw.org. It remains an open question whether the online contact described by police stemmed from a law enforcement sting or a civilian report.
District Cuts Off Access, Confirms No Students Involved
Bellefontaine City Schools suspended Henry following his arrest, and he submitted his resignation afterward, the district said. Superintendent Brad Hall said the district is cooperating with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation and cannot share further details because the matter remains an active criminal case and a confidential personnel issue.
The school board is scheduled to vote October 12 on whether to accept his resignation or terminate his employment, the superintendent said.
A Decade in Education, Deep Ties to the School
Henry is a 2011 graduate of Bellefontaine High School who returned to the district to teach choir in 2022, marking his 10th year in education overall and his 4th year teaching at his own alma mater. He directed the high school's Symphonic Choir, Concert Choir and the Les Fons vocal ensemble, and he served as keynote speaker at the school's National Honor Society induction ceremony last October, according to Peak of Ohio.
Just months before his arrest, the Symphonic Choir under Henry's direction earned a Superior rating at the Ohio Music Education Association District 11 Adjudicated Event, qualifying the ensemble for state-level competition. That recent accolade has deepened the shock among families and students who knew Henry as a prominent, trusted figure in the district's music program.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Ohio
Henry's case follows a string of similar arrests involving Ohio educators this year. In August, a 63-year-old accounting instructor at Stebbins High School in Riverside was accused of messaging someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl; the person was an undercover detective.
Henry's preliminary hearing is set for October 14, two days after the Bellefontaine school board's scheduled vote on his employment status. Both proceedings are expected to shed more light on a case that has unsettled a small Ohio community over its own hometown choir director.
