Police: Ohio firefighter sexually assaulted young cadets he trained
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The firefighter involved has resigned as a member of the Springfield Township Fire / EMS Department in Clark County, Ohio.
Authorities say an Ohio firefighter confessed to sexually assaulting four teenagers in his department’s cadet program, sometimes in paid sexual encounters, while he was an instructor.
Jonathan Monroe, 23, is charged in Clark County with crimes including rape and compelling prostitution.
Monroe told police during an initial interview on April 5th, that he had access to children through his role as a cadet instructor with the fire department.
Monroe said he was 15 or 16 when he began sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy. During a subsequent interview with the victim, the victim said he was actually 11 when the abuse began. Monroe said the abuse happened over a period of six years, ending in March of this year. He could not say how many times the abuse happened. Monroe also said he offered to pay the victim $40 dollars to perform a sex act but did not pay the victim.
Michael Tyler, Springfield News-Sun:
The charges involve four victims — who now are 15 years to 17 years old — under whom he had authority as their training instructor.
On April 5, Monroe came to the Springfield Police Division and asked to speak with detectives. It was then that he admitted he committed the crimes through access he had with the children through the cadet program.
According to the affidavit, Monroe told police Detective Sandra Fent he was 15 or 16 years old when he first sexually touched one of the victims, a 9-year-old boy, at random times for roughly six years.
The last occurrence was in March, Monroe told the detective, and he offered the boy $40 to engage in sexual touching.
