By April Rodgers|Freewire — Your News, Your Voice
BUCYRUS — A local man with a history of sexual offenses has bypassed a jury trial, pleading guilty to a massive 17-count indictment in Crawford County Common Pleas Court. Lovell Charles Wareham, 32, entered the plea following a string of charges involving a minor and subsequent attempts to intimidate witnesses.
The Conclusion of the Case
Wareham’s sentencing follows a plea agreement filed on February 5, where he admitted guilt to 17 of the 27 original charges. The counts included:
- Ten counts of Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity-Oriented Material (2nd-degree felonies).
- Four counts of Intimidation of a Crime Victim or Witness (3rd-degree felonies).
- Two counts of Retaliation (3rd-degree felonies).
- One count of Importuning (4th-degree felony).
The court’s decision marks the end of a timeline of alleged crimes that spanned from late 2024 through August 2025.
A Lifetime of Monitoring
Because Wareham was previously convicted in 2012 for Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, he has been officially classified as a Tier III Sex Offender. This is the most severe designation in the State of Ohio.
Regardless of the length of his prison term, Wareham will be required by law to register his address with the Sheriff’s Office in person every 90 days for the remainder of his life.
Defense Claims of “Victim Facilitation”
Before the sentence was handed down, defense attorney Ben Thompson filed a memorandum seeking the minimum possible prison time. In the filing, the defense argued that the crimes were “less serious” because the victim allegedly took the photos themselves, an argument that overlooks the legal reality that a minor cannot “facilitate” or consent to their own exploitation.
The defense also characterized Wareham as a “mentally ill man who needs rehabilitation,” claiming a long sentence would be unnecessary as he would be “geriatric” upon release.
The Prosecution’s Case
The final plea agreement reached with the State resulted in convictions on 17 of the original 27 counts. By securing guilty pleas on ten separate counts of 2nd-degree felony exploitation, the potential penalties were set for the sentencing ranges Wareham faced. The final agreement also retained the charges of Intimidation and Retaliation, which stem from alleged conduct occurring while Wareham was already in custody.
A Family Affair: The Case of Stacy Brady
The investigation into Wareham’s actions also snared his mother, Stacy Brady, who was recently found guilty for her role in attempting to protect her son from legal consequences.
Following a two-day jury trial on January 22–23, a Crawford County jury found Brady guilty on two counts of Intimidation of a Witness (third-degree felonies). The State presented evidence that on August 20, 2025, Brady used force or unlawful threats to intimidate two separate witnesses involved in the criminal proceedings against Wareham.
Judge Sean E. Leuthold, who presided over the trial, has ordered a pre-sentencing investigation. While Brady was originally represented by Thomas G. Nicholson, the court has since appointed attorney Joel Spitzer to represent her for the upcoming sentencing phase.
The Final Word
Judge Sean E. Leuthold sentenced Wareham to a total aggregated sentence of 24 to 28 years plus 234 months prison served consecutive to current sentence, pay costs, forfeit electronics to CCSO, required to report as Tier II sexual offender. By mandating that the 234-month term be served consecutive to the existing case, the court has effectively ensured that the sentences will not overlap, extending the total time of imprisonment well beyond four decades. In addition to the prison term, the forfeiture of all electronic devices to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the mandatory Tier II registration status provide a permanent layer of state-mandated monitoring upon any future release.
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