A former Columbus Police school resource officer has pleaded guilty to coercing two minors into sexual activity. The FBI says Todd Smith used thousands of text messages to lure two 15-year-old girls into sexual relationships while working at Centennial High School. The FBI says the investigation showed Smith told one student that he had a sex addiction and that she could help him by having sex with him. A few days later, the FBI says it became aware of another 15-year old victim who had been coerced through similar text messages into having a sexual relationship with Smith. The FBI says a federal judge will issue a sentence, but did not give an exact timetable.
Steve Brown grew up in nearby Richwood, Ohio and now lives there with his wife and sons. He started his journalism career as a weekend board operator at WOSU while majoring in journalism at Ohio State, where he also wrote for the student newspaper The Lantern and co-founded the organization Students for Public Broadcasting.