Ohio Police Under Investigation for Telling the Father of Alleged 11-Year-Old Grooming Victim That She Could Face Charges for 'Child Porn'
Sept. 20 2023, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Two police officers from Columbus, Ohio, are being investigated for their response to a complaint regarding the online grooming of an 11-year-old girl, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The girl's father said that he initially contacted police with suspicions that his daughter was being groomed and hoped that the officers could speak to her about the dangers of talking to strangers online. Instead, he said the cops accused his daughter of making "child porn."
The father, who used a generic name to protect his identity, took to TikTok to share his story and footage of the incident from their video doorbell. The TikTok's caption stated that his daughter was 11 and the online stranger was a "grown man."
"He manipulated her into sending pictures of herself," the father wrote. He noted the officers showed up at his house at midnight, hours after he initially contacted police around 6 PM.
Doorbell security footage captured the officers' arrival, which featured a female cop sighing loudly in an annoyed fashion as she approached the front door.
After the female officer knocked on the door several times, the father answered and informed the two officers that his daughter was in bed.
The father continued to explain that his purpose in contacting the police was so that they could talk to her about online predators "to realize what this was."
As the concerned parent confessed that he understood the "reality" of the situation and that there wasn't much he could do, the female officer boldly stated that his daughter could "probably get charged."
The female officer told the dad that his pre-teen daughter "could probably get charged with child porn."
"Who? She can? She’s 11 years old," the dad responded, to which the female officer quipped back, "She’s creating it, right?"
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Taken aback by the female officer's response, the father told the police, "She’s 11 years old." Without missing a beat, the female officer told the dad, "Doesn’t matter. She’s still making porn."
"No. She’s being manipulated by a grown a-- adult on the internet," the dad responded before the officer cut him off mid-sentence and asked, "Is she taking pictures, though?"
Shocked and horrified at the officer's response to his concerns for the safety of his daughter, the father dismissed the officers from his property, "You guys have a nice evening. Thank you for coming."
On Monday, the Columbus Division of Police issued a statement on the viral TikTok.
"The Division of Police regards all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness. Incidents involving minors are handled with the highest degree of concern. Sexual Assault Unit detectives were immediately notified of the incident and have since initiated an investigation," the statement read.
The statement confirmed that the Columbus Department of the Inspector General "which investigates complaints of misconduct and/or excessive use of force by sworn personnel, has opened an inquiry into this incident."