Oak Harbor man pleads guilty to child sex crimes

OAK HARBOR — An Oak Harbor man recently pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting multiple children. At a court hearing on March 7, Alex E. Dedes, 54, of the 100 block of E. Water St., pleaded guilty to eight felony charges in three separate cases. Ottawa County prosecutor James VanEerten said there was an initial error in the charging document, which was amended. "There was in fact no plea offer made in this case, he (Dedes) pleaded guilty to all of the charges the state had against him." Dedes is scheduled to be sentenced at 10 a.m. on May 23. Background According to an Oak Harbor Police Department press release, Dedes was initially indicted for one count of gross sexual imposition in March 2024 for having sexually assaulted a teenage boy in late February. The additional offenses listed in Dedes' indictment involved three additional children between the ages of 14 and 16, which occurred the previous year in September through November 2023, according to court records. The investigation into Dedes began on Feb. 22 after the victim's mother reported that her child told her that Dedes inappropriately touched them while riding as a passenger in his vehicle, according to an Oak Harbor police report. Editor's note: This story was updated to correct information on Dedes' plea.