A Hilliard man could be facing as many as six years in prison after allegedly taking nude photos of a local child.
The Union County Grand Jury has indicted Mike St. Laurent, 29, of Hilliard, charging him with one count each of voyeurism and tampering with evidence.
Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said on March 17, St. Laurent allegedly used his phone to take pictures or videos of a 14-year-old girl. Phillips said the girl knew St. Laurent. The prosecutor said the girl was showering at a home she and St. Laurent had access to when she saw the phone, a Note 5.
Phillips said when the man was confronted, he allegedly deleted information from the phone, getting charged with tampering with evidence
The prosecutor said while the tampering and voyeurism charges are serious and punishable by as many as five and one years in prison respectively, if investigators had been able to find the pictures and videos, St. Laurent could have been facing a charge punishable by as many as eight years in prison.
“He isn’t facing those even more serious charges simply because we don’t know exactly what was photographed because it was deleted,” Phillips said.
Also indicted was:
– Brittany Michelle Bothman, 28, of Kingston. Bothman is charged with one count each of possession of cocaine and possession of heroin, stemming from an incident on Jan. 12, 2017. According to court documents, Bothman had less than a gram of heroin and less than five grams of cocaine. If convicted on both charges, Bothman could face as many as 24 months in prison.
– Tyler Mathys, 47, of 818 W. Eighth St., Marysville. Mathys is charged with one count each of trafficking in drugs and deception to obtain a dangerous drug. According to court documents, Mathys allegedly offered to sell an opioid commonly used to treat opiate addiction. Additionally, Mathys allegedly lied to get a prescription for other drugs. If convicted, Mathys could face as many as 24 months in prison.
– Hassan A. Saleh, 31, of Columbus. Saleh is charged with three counts of breaking and entering. On Jan. 25, the Union County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a strange vehicle and man in the area of Cedar Crest Drive and Juniper Way in Jerome Village.
Many of the homes in that area are under construction. Deputies, along with officers from the Plain City and Dublin police departments, searched the area. Plain City officers apprehended him as he was walking out of the development. Deputies found a box truck at the scene that was still running. According to court documents, Saleh broke into at least three homes, owned by at least two builders. If convicted on all charges, Saleh could face as many as six years in prison.