Grand jury to hear 2 Internet-sting cases

The judge dropped importuning charges against both men.
EAST PALESTINE -- Cases against two suspects caught by police in Internet stings will be turned over to a Columbiana County grand jury.
Michael Black, 54, of Taylorsville, Ky., and Michael Resann, 45, of Goshen, Ind., appeared separately with Atty. Eric Kibler in Columbiana County Municipal Court on Thursday.
Both Black and Resann are charged with attempted sexual contact with a minor and importuning. Both waived preliminary hearings, and Judge Mark Frost dropped charges of importuning against both men.
Both will remain in the Columbiana County jail, each on $500,000 bond.
In both cases, Dan Haueter, New Waterford police chief, posed as a 15-year-old girl and conversed several times with the men in Internet chat rooms.
About the arrests
Haueter arrested Resann on Feb. 14. Haueter said the Indiana man drove nearly 300 miles in about five hours for a meeting he thought would end in sexual relations with a 15-year-old girl.
Resann pulled his company van onto a dead-end New Waterford street and was met by police. Resann brought a teddy bear police had asked for, and also a video camera, a Valentine card, a necklace and a bottle of body lotion, Haueter said.
Black was arrested Jan. 30 when he drove to a fictitious New Waterford address Haueter gave him.
Black brought a teddy bear Haueter had asked for, a digital camera and a laptop computer. Black had said in the chat room conversations that he and who he thought was a 15-year-old girl could view pornography using his laptop computer, Haueter said.
Haueter said Black agreed to drive to New Waterford for sex and arranged the meeting, nearly 400 miles from Black's home.
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