COLUMBUS (OH)
Columbus Dispatch [Columbus OH]
December 18, 2024
By Haley BeMiller
Ohio’s ban on sexual extortion is named for Braden Markus, an Olentangy High School student who died by suicide in 2021
Editor’s note: This story discusses suicide and sexual abuse. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988.
Ohio will criminalize sexual extortion and the grooming of children under legislation approved Wednesday by state lawmakers.
The Ohio House and Senate voted to pass a bill named for Braden Markus, an Olentangy High School student who died by suicide after falling victim to sextortion. House Bill 531 makes sexual extortion a third-degree felony, with harsher penalties if the victims are minors, seniors or people with disabilities.
The measure also aims to make it easier for parents to access their child’s digital assets if they die as a minor − something Braden’s family struggled with after his death.
Sexual extortion occurs when someone blackmails another person over the release of private images. In Braden’s case, someone posing as high school girl on social media asked Braden for intimate photos and then demanded $1,800 so they wouldn’t be published. He killed himself within a half hour of receiving the message.
“We cannot allow what happened to Braden to happen to any other children in the state of Ohio,” Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware.
Legislature votes to crack down on grooming of kids
Lawmakers also approved House Bill 322, which prohibits adults from engaging minors in a “pattern of conduct” with the goal of coercing them into sexual abuse. This includes grooming by parents, teachers, coaches, clergy, mental health professionals and employees of correctional facilities.
The bill makes grooming a misdemeanor, with felony charges possible if the victim is under 13 years old or the offender provided a victim with drugs or alcohol.
Grooming can be difficult to track and penalize because the behaviors − which can include texting, gifts and financial support − often seem innocent at first glance. But grooming usually escalates over time: One survivor told a Senate committee that her junior high teacher quoted “Pretty Woman” in letters and called her Vivian, the name of the prostitute played by Julia Roberts.
Advocates acknowledge a grooming ban alone won’t prevent child sexual abuse, but they say it’s another layer of protection that will keep offenders out of schools and other institutions that require background checks for employees.
“This means that people that have this kind of behavior will not be as easily able to access children,” said Rebecca Surendorff, co-chair of Ohioans for Child Protection, which formed after a Cincinnati priest was charged with raping an altar boy.
Haley BeMiller covers state government and politics for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.