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Athens County Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges

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ATHENS, Ohio — A man once known as a community youth leader in Athens County has been sentenced to multiple decades in prison for crimes related to child pornography.

Richard Adams
Richard Adams [Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail]
Richard Lee Adams, 75, of Athens, was convicted Wednesday of one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person and 31 counts of pandering sexually-oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person. All charges are considered felonies.

Judge George McCarthy then sentenced Adams to between 25 and 27.5 years in prison and classified him as a Tier II Sex Offender. He will be required to register for 25 years with in-person verification every 180 days.

“It is likely that the sentence he received today is a life sentence,” Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that his previous sentences allowed him to be released from prison and reoffend.”

Adams was arrested on July 2 after the Sheriff’s Office carried out a search warrant at his home at 11371 Hawks Road with help from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

From 1989 to 1993, Adams was in jail after being convicted of multiple counts of gross sexual imposition charges.

He was imprisoned again from 1999 to 2011, after being convicted of four counts of gross sexual imposition, one count of sexual battery and one count of rape.

After his most recent conviction, Adams was classified by the courts as a habitual sexual offender and was ordered to register once a year annually for 23 years.

This case was investigated by the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, Athens County Children Services and the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office.