Warren man serving 40-years sentence indicted on more kiddie porn charges

Staff report

WARREN

A 56-year-old city man already serving a 40-year prison term for child pornography charges relating to a 12-year-old central Ohio girl has been indicted on 30 more child-porn charges in Trumbull County.

Lauren K. Thomas, formerly of Beechwood Street Northeast, is being held in the Trumbull County jail in lieu of $200,000 bond, charged with exchanging sexually oriented images with two children about 12 and 14 years old in 2012.

Investigators learned of crimes committed against the girl in Union County northwest of Columbus and purported crimes involving the other victims about the same time in 2012, but Union County prosecuted Thomas first, said Gabe Wildman, assistant Trumbull County prosecutor. If convicted of the Trumbull County charges, Thomas could get about 30 more years in prison.

Thomas was living in Warren at the time of the Union County offenses and the ones charged in Trumbull County, Wildman said.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, the Union County offenses occurred when Thomas pretended to be a preteen when he befriended the 12-year-old victim online and coached her and convinced her to send him graphic videos and pictures.

Thomas received his Union County sentence in July and began serving his prison sentence in August. He has appealed that sentence.

Wildman said Thomas is a “career pedophile” and sex criminal, having been convicted of sex offenses three times so far in three counties. Besides Union, he has convictions in Montgomery and Greene counties.