Former Desales Choir Director Arrested on Sex-related Charges Involving Students

By Kathy Lynn Gray
The Columbus Dispatch
July 22, 2013

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/07/22/state-fair-choir-official-charged.html

The former St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus choir director and former Ohio State Fair choir staff member has been arrested on child sex charges.

Zachary R. Ruppel, 26, was charged yesterday by Columbus police for soliciting nude pictures and sex acts from DeSales students and other juveniles in exchange for membership in the State Fair choir dating back to 2011. Choir directors across the state recommend students for membership in the state fair choir.

Ruppel, of 4906 Lunar Dr., was a member of the state fair choir staff that year. He was the DeSales choir director until he resigned at the end of the school year, according to a DeSales student who answered the phone at the school on Friday.

The director of the choir, Charles R. Snyder, was put on leave on July 11 by fair manager Virgil Strickler because of the investigation. Sgt. Terry McConnell of the Police Division’s sexual-assault unit said Friday that Snyder has not been cleared in the investigation.

Alicia Shoults, spokeswoman for the fair, said this morning that Snyder is still on leave.

A press release from police this morning says that detectives are trying to determine if “ those responsible for reporting these offenses did so as required by law.”

Snyder’s attorney, Randy Peddicord of Coshocton, said on Friday that Snyder had reported information to fair officials shortly after he learned that choir members might have been involved. He said Snyder would not comment on the investigations.

George Jones, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, said Friday he would not comment on the investigation against Ruppel. He would not say what years Ruppel had worked at DeSales.

Police charged Ruppel with two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, fifth-degree felonies, and one count of compelling prostitution, a felony of the third degree. Two victims, boys ages 15 and 17, are listed by police.

The investigation is continuing and detectives are searching for additional victims, the police press release said.

Arrest complaints against Ruppel say that he asked a 15-year-old male on April 28, 2013, to engage in oral sex for $100. On July 6, he sent a 17-year-old male photographs of male genitals.

Strickler said today that Snyder and two other fair-choir staff members reported Ruppel’s suspected actions in July.

He said he immediately placed them on unpaid leave and reported the information to Columbus police.

Police have cleared the other two staff members and they have returned to work with the choir.

“Our primary concern is the safety of Ohio’s youth who are here,” Strickler said.

Strickler said background checks are done on all choir and band staff members. He said Ruppel passed all four background checks in 2011. Strickler said he does not know why Ruppel did not return as a staff member after working with the choir in 2011.

The fair opens Wednesday. The 200 members of the fair choir, who live at the fairgrounds during rehearsals and during the 12-day fair, arrived Thursday. An assistant has taken over as director while Snyder is on leave.

kgray@dispatch.com