FOSTORIA, Ohio — A Fostoria man is in custody and faces five charges related to possessing child sex abuse material, according to a press release from the Fostoria Police Department issued Friday.
Robert Ware, 51, was arrested Monday after authorities with multiple agencies conducted a search warrant at the suspect's home in the 300 block of Boston Avenue. Fostoria police, the Seneca County Drug Task Force METRICH Enforcement Unit, and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force located and seized an estimated 10,000 files of images and videos of child sex abuse, police said.
According to police, the materials "do not appear to be homemade, created locally, or contain Mr. Ware."
Ware was taken into custody and incarcerated at the Seneca County Jail. He was charged with five counts of Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving a Minor, all of which are fourth-degree felonies.
Due to prior convictions of this charge, Fostoria police said Ware's most recent five charges have been increased to third-degree felonies.
According to court documents, Ware was previously charged with two counts of Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor in 2017. Ware accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to one count of Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor and a lesser charge of Attempted Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor.
“Whether the images and videos of the children possessed by Mr. Ware are from other countries or not is irrelevant to me, they are of children," Fostoria Police Detective Kyle Reinbolt said in a press release. "As I have said in the past, there is no greater threat than those who prey upon children. We will continue to go after these individuals, giving them each their day in court and bring them into the eye of the community.”
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