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2008 homecomings
Columbus attorney arrested by Hamilton Twp. officer sentenced for sex offenses
Thursday, May 15, 2008
A Columbus attorney arrested by a Hamilton Twp. police officer has been sentenced to jail for sex offenses, according to Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel.
Barry Mentser, 48, was sentenced in the Warren County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, May 14 for one count of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a fifth-degree felony. Judge Bronson sentenced Mentser to three years probation, 30 days in jail and $500 fine for each count.
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On October 31, 2007, Mentser was arrested by police officers from Columbus, Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the Hamilton Township Police Department when he appeared at the Ohio Statehouse cafeteria intending to meet a 14 year old female juvenile.
The arrest followed a year long investigation by the Hamilton Twp. Lt. Jeff Braley posing as a 14-year-old female through an internet chatroom. Braley said Mentser engaged in sexually explicit language and discussions involving engaging in sexual conduct with each other.
Mentser was also classified as a Tier II sex offender, requiring him to report to authorities for 25 years. After a request for leniency by Mentser's attorneys, Judge Bronson noted that those convicted of criminal offenses are sentenced similarly in accordance with their criminal conduct.
