Former school employee indicted on sex charges

Editor's note: This story has been updated. HURON — A Huron man who previously worked for two local school districts was recently indicted on multiple felony sex charges for possessing "obscene material," according to the indictment. On Oct. 9, Erie County sheriff's deputies arrested Ryan A. Manner, 45, of the 800 block of Salem Drive and booked him into the Erie County Jail after he was indicted on the following charges: • 11 counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, each a second-degree felony • Two counts of voyeurism, each a fifth-degree felony • One count of possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony According to his indictment, the alleged crimes occurred between May 1 and June 17, 2026, when Manner allegedly created illicit AI-generated depictions of children and secretly videotaped or photographed a child "for the purpose of viewing the private areas" of the child. Manner was released from the Erie County Jail on a $100,000 bond, and court records show no future hearings scheduled. Background The investigation into Manner reportedly first began on June 16 when two individuals went to Huron's police station to make a report regarding "possible lewd behavior involving an adult and a minor," according to a Huron police report. One of the individuals, as well as the victim, stated to police that Manner was allegedly in possession of a video recording that showed the victim "walking up the staircase in a bikini-style bathing suit," and that the video was allegedly taken without the victim's consent or knowledge, the report states. Both witnesses claimed the video was taken on June 6 at Manner's residence. After police received the report, officers obtained a copy of the video and reviewed it. Based on the information received, Huron police obtained a search warrant for Manner's phone, seized it and sent it to Westlake police for analysis, the report states. Roughly a month later, Huron police reviewed the results, which allegedly contained about "350 videos and images of what appeared to be AI-generated media of pre-teen and teenage-aged girls in a state of undress." An officer also noted that, after reviewing the results, at least several of the AI-generated images and videos appeared to depict actual children engaging in sexual activity. Employment status Huron Schools superintendent James Tatman said Manner, a longtime local youth soccer coach, worked for the district as a part-time coach before resigning in summer 2021. On May 18, 2021, an anonymous group of parents reported allegations involving Manner to the Erie County Job and Family Services, which then notified the district. The district placed Manner on administrative leave and opened an investigation on June 21, 2021. The investigation ended after Manner resigned, and the district referred the matter to the Ohio State Board of Education's Office of Professional Conduct for further investigation. Tatman said Manner has not worked for the district since resigning. In addition to Tatman, Port Clinton Schools superintendent Patrick Adkins said Manner was not an employee of the school district as a teacher or coach but as a "psychologist trainee," a position he resigned from two years ago at the start of the 2024-25 school year. Terra State Community College, in a 2022 post, said that Manner was appointed head coach of the school's men's and women's soccer programs. It wasn't immediately clear if he was still employed there, or when his employment ended. Manner also worked at North Shore High School, which maintains campuses in Cleveland and Garfield Heights, as its director of student support services. The school's director of school improvement, Zack Kantouros, said that Manner served its campuses as an outside contractor and that the school "immediately terminated that relationship upon learning of these charges." Editor's note: Jolena Gioiello contributed to this story.