Lynchburg man sentenced to prison in Warren County case
A Lynchburg man indicted on 73 counts related to alleged sex crimes in Warren County was sentenced to five and a half years in prison Thursday, according to court records.
As previously reported (first by the Dayton Daily News), Steven Reese Barnes, 43, was indicted in June on 70 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, a second-degree felony; two counts of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony; and one count of public indecency, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Court records show that Barnes appeared before Judge Timothy Tepe Thursday, Oct. 10, and pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition and some of the pandering sexually oriented matter counts, with others being dismissed. The public indecency charge was also dismissed.
Tepe sentenced Barnes to a minimum of 66 months and maximum of 78 months in prison, according to court records. That includes 42 months on the gross sexual imposition charge and a minimum of 24 months on the pandering charges, for a total of 66 months (five and a half years). Under the Reagan Tokes Law, that sentence can be extended up to 78 months.
According to the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office’s grand jury report, the indictment alleged that between August 2023 and February 2024, Barnes “had sexual contact with a minor under the age of 13.” It is further alleged from February through November 2023, Barnes “reproduced images of children engaged in sexual activity by downloading those images onto his electronic device.”
The crimes were alleged to have occurred in the city of Springboro.
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