The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Man accused of having inappropriate pictures involving children
Inappropriate pictures involving children found on an Elyria man’s phone now has him facing two felony charges, according to Elyria police Capt. Christopher Costantino.
Mark L. Olson, 27, of Bon Air Avenue in Elyria, was arrested Sept. 26 and charged with two counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, one which is a second-degree felony and the other a fourth-degree felony.
Costantino said one charge is a higher offense than the other because it’s related to the making of inappropriate content and the other is related to its distribution.
The Elyria Police Department received a complaint Sept. 22 from a 35-year-old Cleveland woman regarding information she said Olson posted on Facebook, Costantino said.
The woman explained that a relative of hers is somehow associated with Olson, and she read comments Olson made regarding an ex-girlfriend.
According to the complainant, Olson said that he and his exgirlfriend had sexual relations in front of a 7-year-old girl. Costantino said Olson allegedly made other questionable statements on Facebook, including that he enjoyed engaging in sexual activity in front of the 7-year-old.
“Any violation of a child is something that I think is very difficult,” Costantino said. “We’re very fortunate that this person saw something that didn’t look right and took the time to report it. That’s huge.”
Olson was brought to the police department for questioning Sept. 26. While there, police located photos on Olson’s phone that involved him and a juvenile.
Costantino said one of the photos showed a sleeping male child with male genitalia, believed to be Olson’s, near the child’s head.
The captain said the child in the photo was able to be identified and a follow-up revealed the child wasn’t harmed and is safe. The police department also is looking into the ex-girlfriend and 7-year-old girl who were mentioned in the Facebook posts, he said.
Olson has a 5-year-old son of his own, Costantino said. Police checked on the boy’s well-being and determined he is safe and is staying with his mother.
Elyria Municipal Court Records indicate Olson entered no plea to either charge at his Sept. 27 arraignment. He is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Oct. 5.