By SYDNEY KENT
A 54-year-old married man from Ohio was the most recent subject of a sting operation facilitated by the nonprofit group Predator Catchers Indianapolis.
Dennis Allen Starry of Oakwood, Ohio, pled not guilty to the charges in the Wells Circuit Court Tuesday morning.
Starry was charged with child solicitation, a Level 4 felony, providing obscene material to minors, a Level 6 felony, and possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Starry first met the decoy on the “Kik” app. He allegedly sent multiple nude photographs after learning the person he was speaking to was 14 years old.
Starry reportedly drove over an hour to attempt to meet with the child on multiple occasions and sent proof that he was a real person. A photograph of a receipt from Dollar General in Bluffton was submitted as evidence of Starry’s first attempt to solicit sex from a child.
The second attempt, which occurred Saturday at Kroger, resulted in Starry’s arrest.
Before his vehicle was towed during his arrest, he reportedly told officers he had marijuana in his vehicle — with legal permission.
The officer located the marijuana and informed Starry that a medical marijuana card for Ohio is not legal in Indiana. A livestream of the interaction is available on the group’s Facebook page.
Starry is currently incarcerated at the Wells County Jail with a $16,500 bond. A pretrial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Nov. 29 in the Wells Circuit Court.
sydney@news-banner.com
