Scioto Valley Guardian
  • Home
  • Weather
  • Local News
    • -Ross County
    • -Pickaway County
    • -Pike County
    • -Vinton County
    • -Fayette County
    • -Highland County
    • -Jackson County
    • -Athens County
    • -Scioto County
  • Obituaries
  • Government
  • Opinion
  • Forums
  • Contact
37 °f
Chillicothe
45 ° Tue
47 ° Wed
52 ° Thu
46 ° Fri
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
Scioto Valley Guardian
  • Home
  • Weather
  • Local News
    • -Ross County
    • -Pickaway County
    • -Pike County
    • -Vinton County
    • -Fayette County
    • -Highland County
    • -Jackson County
    • -Athens County
    • -Scioto County
  • Obituaries
  • Government
  • Opinion
  • Forums
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Scioto Valley Guardian
No Result
View All Result
Home -Local News

Final defendant convicted in Scioto County human trafficking operation

News Release by News Release
September 14, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Weekend human trafficking sting nets 35 arrests

IMAGE FILE | GUARDIAN

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

COLUMBUS, Ohio — All 11 defendants charged federally in a Scioto County child sex trafficking operation have been convicted.

A federal grand jury originally indicted Larry Dean Porter, 71, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and several of his family members and associates in June 2020. Porter exchanged drugs obtained in Columbus and elsewhere for sexual access to the children of drug-addicted mothers.

Porter and nine of the co-defendants have since pleaded guilty to federal charges.

A jury found the final co-defendant, Joshua Aldridge, 38, of South Webster, Ohio, guilty following a trial in Columbus that concluded this week. Aldridge transported minor victims to Porter’s home and received illegal drugs from Porter in return. He was convicted of conspiring to sex-traffic children and conspiring to sex-traffic adults by force, which are both crimes punishable by up to life in prison, and sex trafficking children, which is punishable by at least 15 years and up to life in prison.

“The defendants, in this case, committed heinous acts against some of the most vulnerable people in our society—children,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “The jury properly found Joshua Aldridge guilty of his crimes. Each of the defendants will now be held accountable for their roles in this atrocious child sex trafficking operation by facing significant time in federal prison. I cannot thank the jury enough for their service.”

Agents with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force began investigating Porter in April 2019 following reports from several sources that Porter was involved in sexually abusing male and female minors with the consent of the minors’ parents in exchange for illegal drugs from Porter.

Porter sexually abused children and produced child pornography that he kept on flash drives and used extreme methods to conceal, including burying the flash drives in the yard surrounding his house.

He often instructed drug-addicted parents to sexually abuse their own children and recorded it to use as blackmail. Porter also used other methods of force, such as duct taping and tying women to chairs, burning them with cigarettes, and firing guns by their ears.

For example, two co-defendants took a seven-year-old child to Porter’s residence on a regular basis to traffic the child sexually in exchange for pills. The abuse occurred a few times per week for up to five years.

Porter was arrested in March 2020 on local charges during a human trafficking sting operation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

After Porter was arrested locally, his friends and relatives – including two of his daughters and one of his cousins – attempted to destroy evidence on Porter’s behalf.

For example, his daughters dug holes in the ground on Porter’s property to retrieve and attempt to conceal or destroy SD cards containing child pornography that had been buried in Porter’s yard. Agents found eight DVDs containing Porter’s child pornography at the house of one of Porter’s friends. Porter’s cousin discussed in jail calls with Porter their plans to assault and potentially kill a witness they believed was a source for law enforcement.

Porter pleaded guilty on Aug. 10 to conspiring to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, child sex trafficking, and participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Porter’s plea agreement includes a sentencing range of a minimum of 15 years and up to 55 years in prison.

The Court will set future sentencing dates for each of the defendants, and the sentences imposed will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Previous Post

Arizona man travels to Ohio for sex with underage girl

Next Post

Police in Chillicothe release images of robbery suspects

Recommended For You

Search continues for driver in a high-speed chase in Pickaway Co.

by The Guardian
February 3, 2023
0
Active high speed chase in Ross County

PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio --- Law enforcement in Pickaway County was involved in a high-speed pursuit Friday afternoon.   According to officials, what started as a standard traffic stop...

Read more

Two men arrested for drug trafficking following traffic stop in Hocking Co.

by The Guardian
February 3, 2023
0
Two men arrested for drug trafficking following traffic stop in Hocking Co.

HOCKING COUNTY, Ohio --- Two Ohio men were arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine following a traffic stop by Hocking County Sheriff's Interdiction Unit.   On Wednesday, February...

Read more

City of Chillicothe awarded $25,000 grant for canopy restoration

by News Release
February 2, 2023
0
City of Chillicothe awarded $25,000 grant for canopy restoration

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio --- Mayor Luke Feeney announced this week that the City of Chillicothe has been awarded a $25,000 "Canopy Restoration" grant from the Ohio Department of Natural...

Read more

Ohio Auditor celebrates 100th criminal prosecution

by News Release
February 2, 2023
0
Ohio Auditor celebrates 100th criminal prosecution

COLUMBUS, Ohio --- The Ohio Auditor of State, Keith Faber, has called for increased training of government officials to detect and report suspected fraud and corruption in public...

Read more

Former Columbus cop sentenced to prison for drug trafficking, accepting bribes

by News Release
February 2, 2023
0
Former Columbus cop sentenced to prison for drug trafficking, accepting bribes

COLUMBUS, Ohio --- A former Columbus police officer, Marco R. Merino, was sentenced to 108 months in prison by a federal court on Thursday. Merino, 45, of Columbus,...

Read more
Load More
Next Post
Police in Chillicothe release images of robbery suspects

Police in Chillicothe release images of robbery suspects

Scioto Valley Guardian

© 2023 NewsPatrol, Inc.

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Weather
  • Local News
  • Obituaries
  • Government
  • Opinion
  • Forums
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Local News
    • -Ross County
    • -Pickaway County
    • -Pike County
    • -Vinton County
    • -Fayette County
    • -Jackson County
    • -Scioto County
  • Obituaries
  • Crime Maps
  • Government
  • Opinion
  • Contact

© 2023 NewsPatrol, Inc.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist