Man sentenced to 22 years on child sex charges

SANDUSKY — A Sandusky resident was sentenced to more than two decades in prison Tuesday on charges relating to sexual misconduct involving children.Eddie Cox, 47, of Fulton Street, pleaded guilty to five felonies — two counts of attempted rape and pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor, along with one count of gross sexual imposition — in Erie County Common Pleas Court as a part of a plea deal. Judge Beverly McGookey dismissed another 29 felony charges, per the plea agreement.On the five felonies, McGookey sentenced Cox to 22 years in prison. The same length was agreed upon by Cox, through his attorney, Jeff Whitacre, and Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter. The maximum sentence he could have received is 43 years.The charges relate to sexual conduct Cox had with two children in Sandusky, one of them an infant, in October 2017 and November 2017, according to his indictment. The victims' mother, in attendance at the hearing, said "yes" when McGookey asked if she agreed with the 22-year sentence.Speaking on behalf of the family, Erie County sexual assault advocate Marie Woodruff said that the family can now start to heal."It's been a long road for the family and a lot came to light really quickly," Woodruff said. "This is a great step forward. It's important to them that (Cox is) locked away."As Cox pled to each charge, McGookey asked him if he was pleading because he's guilty of the crime. Each time, Cox responded with, "yes."Cox did not make a statement when given the opportunity. When he's released from prison, Cox will have to register as a sex offender every 90 days for the rest of his life, and he will be on post-release control for five years, McGookey said.A second person implicated during the sexual misconduct investigation has their case pending. Ruth Cruz, 42, of Fulton Street, was indicted on four counts of rape and four counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor, according to Erie County common pleas court records. Cruz is expected to have a hearing on April 23.RUTH L CRUZVisit our Erie County Common Pleas court hub for more storiesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterEDDIE W COX