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Former Church Music Leader Pleads Guilty in Sex Case By Denise Callahan The Oxford Press January 15, 2009 http://www.oxfordpress.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2009/01/15/ws011509garitson.html LEBANON — A former Hamilton church music leader plead guilty today, Jan. 15, to charges related to an undercover online sex investigation in Hamilton Twp. Charles Andy Garitson, 24, of Monroe pleaded guilty in Warren County Common Pleas Court to importuning, a fifth-degree felony, in exchange for prosecutors dropping a charge of attempted unlawful sex with a minor. Garitson was arrested on Sept. 29 after allegedly arranging a meeting with Hamilton Twp. Police Department Lt. Jeff Braley, who posed as a 15-year-old male as part of an undercover investigation. According to the police report, Garitson contacted Braley via the Internet and asked to meet for sexual conduct. Judge James Heath did not sentence Garitson today, but he faces up to one year in prison and a fine of $2,500. Garitson will have to register as a tier-one sex offender anywhere he lives, works or attends school for the next 15 years. Garitson was a music director at the Park Avenue United Methodist Church in Hamilton when apprehended by police. Pastor Barbara Dafler said she would not talk about Garitson's arrest. |
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