A call about a woman panhandling outside a Hamilton County gas station turned into something far more serious this week, after deputies discovered a 17-year-old girl reported missing from Houston four days earlier in the company of a 31-year-old Texas man who is a registered sex offender.
According to FOX19, Hamilton County deputies were called to investigate a report of a female panhandler at the Speedway gas station located at 12006 Montgomery Road. When they arrived, investigators determined the teenager was with Brandon McClerkin, a registered sex offender from Texas, and deputies arrested him on the spot.
Sheriff's office spokeswoman Kyla Woods said deputies found McClerkin and the missing teenager while responding to the panhandling call, per the same account. Woods said the investigation involved a 17-year-old who had been reported missing from Houston, Texas since Nov. 1.
Charges Filed Against Texas Man
Reporting on the exact charging status differs slightly between outlets. FOX19 reported that McClerkin was charged with interference with custody, a fifth-degree felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. WCPO, meanwhile, described those same two offenses as possible charges McClerkin faces rather than charges already filed.
Ohio's interference with custody statute, found in Section 2919.23 of the Ohio Revised Code, states simply that whoever violates the section is guilty of interference with custody. The state's companion statute on contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Section 2919.24, bars a person from aiding, abetting, inducing, causing, encouraging, or contributing to a child becoming an unruly or delinquent child.
Teen Expected to Reunite With Family
McClerkin was being taken to the Hamilton County Justice Center, where he will be held pending arraignment, according to the sheriff's office account relayed by FOX19. The teenager will be reunited with her family as soon as arrangements can be made, the sheriff's office said.
