COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has indicted a Scioto County man and several of his family members and associates with charges related to a child sex trafficking operation. The man allegedly exchanged drugs obtained in Columbus and elsewhere for sexual access to the children of drug-addicted mothers.

 

Larry Porter

According to court documents unsealed today, agents with the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force began investigating Larry Dean Porter, 69, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, in April 2019 following reports from several sources that Porter was involved in sexually abusing male and female minors with consent of the minors’ parents in exchange for illegal drugs from Porter.

 

In March 2020, Porter was arrested on local charges during a human trafficking sting operation by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. In Facebook messages coordinated by law enforcement, Porter allegedly offered to pay $80 in exchange for access to a 7-year-old girl. He was arrested after arriving at a pre-arranged meeting location and allegedly stating he would “be done around midnight” and could return the girl then.

 

According to victims and sources in the ongoing investigation by the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI), Porter sexually abused children and produced child pornography kept on flash drives that Porter used extreme methods to conceal.

 

He would give illegal narcotics to drug-addicted parents in exchange for sexual access to the minor victims. It is alleged he often instructed the parents to sexually abuse their own children and recorded it to use as blackmail.

 

Additionally, according to the criminal complaint, Larry Porter made numerous recorded phone calls and mailed three letters while incarcerated in Jackson County in an attempt to have his family members and associates lie under oath, convince other witnesses to lie to law enforcement, or to convince sources not to provide information to law enforcement.

 

Porter is charged in a 13-count indictment with conspiring to sex traffic children (15 years up to life in prison),  attempting to sex traffic children (15 years  up to life), producing child pornography (15 to 30 years), possessing child pornography (up to 10 years), conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years) and conspiring to witness tamper (up to 20 years).

 

Denna Sue and Crystal D. Porter

It is alleged that in the days immediately following Porter’s arrest in Jackson County, two of Porter’s daughters and two of his friends were seen making numerous trips to Porter’s residence and property. Denna Sue, 32, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and Crystal D. Porter, 39, of Columbus, were seen digging holes in the ground on the property.

 

On March 20, 2020, officers and agents searched the area in which the daughters were seen digging. They discovered an SD memory card buried inside a glass jar. Court documents allege the memory card contained images of child pornography taken in Porter’s bedroom.

 

Denna Porter is charged with conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years), destroying or removing evidence (up to five years), and making false statements to law enforcement (up to eight years).

 

Crystal Porter is charged with conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years), destroying or removing evidence (up to five years), and making false statements to law enforcement (up to eight years).

 

Porter’s associates Frank E. Andrews, 68, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, and W. David Cole, 62, of Portsmouth, Ohio were also seen on Porter’s property.

 

Frank Andrews

Frank Andrews is charged with conspiring to sex traffic children (15 years up to life in prison), possessing child pornography involving a prepubescent child (up to 20 years), conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years), and destroying or removing evidence (up to five years).

 

Agents recovered eight DVDs from Andrews’ residence that contained multiple videos of child pornography. Forensic evidence indicated the file titles match those on Porter’s computer.

 

David Cole

Cole is charged with conspiring to sex traffic children (15 years up to life in prison), conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years), and destroying or removing evidence (up to five years).

 

Facebook messages allegedly show conversations between Cole and Porter discussing child sex trafficking victims. Cole also allegedly removed and destroyed evidence from Porter’s home.

 

Wayne Porter

During a recorded jail call, Porter and his cousin, Erroll Wayne Porter, Sr. (Wayne), 69, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, discussed an individual they believed was a source for law enforcement. Wayne Porter said he “got some things working there, trying to take him down.” In a later call, Porter told Wayne, “Go out and make sure that idiot don’t do something. If you have to put a slug in that son-of-a-bitch.”

 

Wayne Porter is charged with conspiring to obstruct a child sex trafficking investigation (up to 25 years), and conspiring to tamper witnesses (up to 20 years).

 

 

Joshua Aldridge

Joshua David Aldridge, 36, of South Webster, Ohio, is charged with conspiring to sex traffic children (15 years up to life in prison) and sex trafficking children (15 years up to life in prison).

 

It is alleged that Aldridge transported minor victims to Porter’s home and received drugs from Porter in return.

 

Charity and Ronnie Rawlins

Charity Ann Rawlins, 41, of South Webster, Ohio, and Ronnie L. Rawlins, 47, of Oak Hill, Ohio, are also charged with conspiring to sex traffic children (15 years up to life in prison) and sex trafficking children (15 years up to life in prison).

 

The couple allegedly took a seven-year-old child to Porter’s residence on a regular basis to traffic the child sexually in exchange for pills. This alleged abuse occurred a few times per week for up to five years.

 

A number of other adult women allegedly involved in this conspiracy have been charged locally.

 

David M. DeVillers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost; Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier; Jackson County Prosecutor Justin Lovett; Scioto County Sheriff Marty V. Donini and Scioto County Prosecutor Shane A. Tieman announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Heather A. Hill and Jessica W. Knight, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rausch, Legal Director of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative, are representing the United States in this case.

 

Criminal complaints and indictments merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

 

If you believe you may be a victim, or have information related to this case, please call the FBI at 614-315-4923.

 

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