Toledo school board candidate indicted on 6 counts of child endangerment

9/21/2007

Richard Brown, 33, a candidate for the Toledo Board of Education, was indicted today on six counts that involve child endangerment and disseminating harmful materials to juveniles.

According to the Lucas County Prosecutor s Office, two of the endangering charges relate to corporal punishment, two deal with coercing juveniles or minors into posing for a photographer, and two involve handing out material including nudity to children.

The victims in the case are two brothers, now ages 16 and 18, who would have met Mr. Brown when he was serving as a youth pastor at the Friendship Baptist Church in Toledo. The events that resulted in the charges are alleged to have taken place between January, 2005, and January of this year.

Mr. Brown, a Democrat, announced his candidacy in May for the open seat on the board of education. He has said steps must be taken to restore confidence in the district and to prove to taxpayers that the board is accountable before taxpayers are asked to support any future levies.

A staff auditor for Toledo City Council overseeing the city s sewer overhaul project, Mr. Brown is endorsed in the race by the Lucas County Democratic Party, the Toledo Federation of Teachers, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

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