Man faces charges in sex sting

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

A Rootstown man asked for sex from a 15-year-old girl, unaware “she” was actually a Mahoning County deputy sheriff.

Jonathan Brokaw, 35, of Alliance Road, faces felony counts of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, importuning, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and possessing criminal tools.

Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jeff Allen said an undercover township officer, posing as a 15-year-old girl, met Brokaw online as part of a routine patrol for internet predators.

The conversation eventually turned sexual, and Brokaw reportedly sent the deputy pictures of his privates, Allen said. When the deputy set up a time for Brokaw to meet the “girl” in Austintown, officers were waiting, he said.

Brokaw, whom Allen said works as an auto mechanic in Cleveland, is not a registered sex offender, Allen said. He did not give a statement to deputies, he said.

Brokaw’s plea was withheld during his Wednesday arraignment in the county area court in Austintown. His bond was set at $25,000.

He’s due back in court next week.