“The process of grooming is intended to convert an unwilling victim into a compliant victim,” Wood County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Dobson told lawmakers on behalf of the association in a hearing. “Through the process of grooming, a pedophile attempts to normalize aberrant conduct, works to convince the child that this inappropriate attention makes them special or loved, and/or that performing adult acts will make them more mature and adult-like.”
Dobson said he hoped the law would allow law enforcement to intervene before grooming relationships become physical in the event that someone reports the untoward relationship in time.
According to the legislature’s nonpartisan analysis, H.B. 322 prohibits adults over 18 from engaging in a “pattern of conduct” with minors under 16 (or minors that are four or more years younger than the adult) when that conduct would cause a reasonable adult to believe that the relationship intends to entice, coerce or solicit the minor in sexual activity.
Breaking the new law comes with misdemeanor charges and a felony charge if the adult in the scenario has a specific responsibility to care for the minor, including parents, legal custodians, teachers, coaches, mental health professionals and more.
Rebecca Surendorff, co-founder of Ohioans for Child Protection, issued a press release in support of the bill, arguing that H.B. 322 will “will certainly better protect the children of Ohio.”
“Our children are more accessible than ever before, and this gives law enforcement the tools they need to get offending predators away from Ohio children” Surendoff said.
“We have a collective responsibility to protect Ohio children, and House Bill 322 will allow us to do so,” said Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison, who sponsored the bill alongside fellow Hamilton County Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Concord. “We know when something is wrong, and we must speak up for the sake of our children and the safety or our communities. I’m grateful for all the constituents who helped move this important legislation forward.”
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Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
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