WALBRIDGE, Ohio — A former Walbridge police officer who allegedly admitted to "exchanging nude images with a juvenile female is facing new child sex crime charges.
According to documents from the Ottawa County Court of Common Pleas, Austin Sabo, 23, was indicted on Wednesday on a felony count of rape and unlawful sexual misconduct with a minor.
Earlier in December, Sabo was indicted on four other counts, including one fifth-degree felony count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and a a second-degree felony of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance.
The first charge, a felony rape charge, alleged that between May 20 and Sept. 30 in 2019, Sabo engaged in sexual conduct with a 12-year-old. The documents do not specify if Sabo knew the age of his victim at the time of sexual conduct. The charge is classified as a first-degree felony. Sabo would have been 18 at the time of the incident.
The second charge, unlawful sexual misconduct with a minor, is a fourth-degree felony. The court documents allege that between Aug. 11 and Sept. 30 in 2022, Sabo had sexual conduct with a juvenile who was between the ages of 13 and 16. The court documents indicate that Sabo was at least four years older than the victim during the alleged incident.
To date, Sabo has been charged and indicted on:
- One felony count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles
- One misdemeanor count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles
- Two felony counts of illegal use of minor in nudity oriented material or performance
- One felony count of rape
- One felony count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor