FreeWire Magazine — Your News, Your Voice
CRESTLINE — A Crestline man already facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges is now accused in a second case involving 20 sexually oriented felonies, following a new indictment filed in Crawford County Common Pleas Court.
Michael A. Tesso, 28, appeared before Judge Sean Leuthold on Oct. 23, where he entered a plea of not guilty to 19 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person and one count of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, all second-degree felonies.
Each count carries the possibility of several years in prison, and combined, the charges could result in decades of incarceration if Tesso is convicted on all counts.
Prior Case Still Pending
Tesso was already facing separate charges stemming from a September 16 standoff with Crestline Police, which led to his earlier arrest. In that case, he was charged with possession of drugs, a second-degree felony, along with several misdemeanors related to obstruction and resisting arrest.
Authorities have not indicated whether the new and previous cases are connected. With the additional charges, Tesso’s total bond now exceeds $1 million across both cases.
At the Oct. 23 hearing, Judge Leuthold ruled that if Tesso posts bond, he will remain on house arrest with GPS monitoring until trial. Tesso is represented by attorney Jerry Thompson.
Ongoing Investigation
The Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office and local law enforcement agencies have not released specific details about the evidence in the new indictment, citing the ongoing investigation. Officials confirmed that multiple electronic devices were seized during the course of the probe, which remains active.
A pretrial conference is expected to be scheduled in the coming weeks.
The case has drawn attention in both Crestline and Bucyrus as part of a broader wave of cyber-related criminal prosecutions statewide. Law enforcement agencies continue to urge the public to report suspicious online activity or possible exploitation cases to local police or through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) tip line.
