By SYDNEY KENT
A Bluffton resident will spend the next three years in prison after he attempted to meet a 13-year-old child for sexual intercourse.
Ronald Comer, 49, was sentenced in the Wells Circuit Court on Wednesday to six years in the Indiana Department of Correction with three years suspended. The sentence was issued after Comer pled guilty to one count of child solicitation, a Level 4 felony, last month.
Comer was one of the first subjects of a series of sting operations in Wells County, arranged by an undercover nonprofit called Predator Catchers Indianapolis. Prior to his arrest last November, Comer had never faced any significant issues with the law.
According to his lawyer, Donald Carl Swanson, Comer was a hard-working man. He was a widow, and his wife’s death occurred during the time frame of the crime. He held the same job for over a decade until his arrest, raised three children, was close to his parents, and continued to significantly support one of his now adult children.
“If this had never happened,” Prosecuting Attorney Timothy Sipe told the court. “It would be reasonable for an individual to believe he was an upstanding and law-abiding citizen. It is the purely detestable nature of his actions that give the state concern moving forward.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, Comer responded to a post on a dating app called MeetMe, where a decoy from PCI eventually identified herself as a 13-year-old girl named “Sasha.”
Sipe cited this fact in response to Comer’s claim that the “victim” in the case greatly facilitated the offense. Comer then continued to request naked photos, send crude and illicit messages, and arrange to meet “Sasha” for sexual acts after he learned of her age.
Comer’s defense claimed that not only did he have a low risk of reoffending, it was unlikely that these circumstances would recur. Sipe advised that the state found this to be false, and stated “the internet is everywhere.”
“Mr. Comer did go to an adult website, where people over 18 are supposed to have accounts,” Judge Kenton Kiracofe stated before he issued his ruling. “He went there believing he was going to meet an adult. Unfortunately, this court has acknowledged some other cases where real juveniles do in fact go on websites and create a fake profile. That does happen.”
This was the case for a minor victim from Bluffton whose abuser was convicted in the Wells Circuit Court earlier this year. Brian Randy Vanauken, 41, Fort Wayne, was sentenced to 69 years in prison after a jury found him guilty on 16 charges for child molesting, exploitation, and sex trafficking.
“This person told Mr. Comer that she was a minor,” Kiracofe concluded. “That should have been enough for Mr. Comer to say he isn’t interested any longer, and move on, but he didn’t. He outlined what was going to happen in a text message with this person.”
Swanson pointed out that Comer assisted in the investigation and admitted to the allegations the same day that he was arrested. He claimed Comer was cooperative throughout the case.
However, during his change of plea hearing last month, Comer attempted to deflect responsibility and deny that he understood the decoy’s age when the state presented a factual basis for the charge.
Some surrounding counties refuse to file charges from or investigate subjects from PCI investigations, with concerns of entrapment as a potential defense in court. Comer’s defense explained why he did not use this as his argument.
“(The claims) were not made by a law enforcement agency, but by a private agency,” Swanson stated. “I think there’s no way I can argue entrapment. The court and state and I all appreciate that pedophilia is incurable.”
After the sentence was issued, Comer was immediately taken into custody by the Wells County Sheriff’s Department. He is ordered to complete a period of probation following his incarceration and pay court costs and filing fees.
sydney@news-banner.com