Sandusky man sentenced for child sex crimes

SANDUSKY — A Sandusky man was sentenced for having committed multiple sex crimes against a child on Wednesday. At a court hearing on June 18, Brandon T. O'Hara, 30, 2300 block Milan Road (U.S. 250), was convicted on one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony; one count of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, a fourth-degree felony; and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony. O'Hara previously pleaded guilty to the three charges on May 1, in exchange for five additional counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and two additional counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor to be dismissed. Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Tygh Tone sentenced O'Hara to serve four years in prison, according to court records. O'Hara additionally received a credit of about nine months served in jail, according to court records. Under the terms of his sentencing, O'Hara is classified as a Tier 2 sex offender, which means that he must verify home and work addresses every six months for 25 years. O'Hara will additionally be placed on a mandatory term of five years post-release control, according to court records. Background The investigation into O'Hara first began in September 2024 after the Huron County Sheriff's Office received information from the Greene County Sheriff's Office in Indiana stating that O'Hara had allegedly taken a teenage girl with him to South Carolina, according to a Sandusky police report. When officers arrived at O'Hara's residence, they allegedly observed through a window a young girl lying alongside O'Hara on a bed in the front room, the report states. The girl went up to open the door for the police and was asked by officers if she was from Indiana, to which she allegedly stated, "No." Due to the girl's age, officers began speaking with one of the child's guardians. The guardian allegedly told the officer that the girl and O'Hara had been friends for several months and that she was under the impression that O'Hara was 18 years old, not 29, the report states. While officers were on scene, they were made aware that O'Hara had an active warrant from South Carolina for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the report states. On Sept. 27, Sandusky police received a call from the child's guardian stating that O'Hara had contacted the young girl despite being told to no longer do so, the report states. Because of the information received, an investigator from Erie County children's services interviewed the girl, where she stated that she and O'Hara allegedly had sex a few hours prior to the police showing up the first time, the report states. Due to the girl's statements during the interview and the fact that O'Hara attempted to contact the girl after being told not to. Sandusky police arrested O'Hara on a single charge of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony, and transported him to the Erie County Jail, the report states. Similar case pending During their investigation, Sandusky police found out that O'Hara has a history of alleged inappropriate misconduct. In 2019, a then-24-year-old O'Hara was arrested by police in Horry County, South Carolina, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl whom he reportedly met through Snapchat. Prosecutors later dropped the case, according to Horry County court records. O'Hara was later arrested again for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman between April and May 2021, according to an arrest warrant from the Horry County police department. No future court hearings have appeared to have been scheduled in that case, according to Horry County court records.