Onetime TPS candidate to be tried Jan. 28 on abuse charges

12/19/2007

The trial date for a onetime Toledo Board of Education candidate charged with several counts of child endangering was confirmed yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Richard Brown, III, 34, is charged with four counts of endangering children and two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Judge Linda Jennings confirmed his Jan. 28 trial date.

Mr. Brown, whose address is listed on court documents as 1146 Hamilton St., is accused of abusing two brothers, now ages 16 and 18, who he met as a youth pastor at Friendship Baptist Church, 5301 Nebraska Ave. He is accused of both coercing the boys into posing for inappropriate photographs as well as practicing corporal punishment on the boys.

If convicted, he faces a combined maximum punishment of 28 years in prison.

Yesterday, Mr. Brown's attorney, Ronnie Wingate, told Judge Jennings that he had received two computer discs from the prosecutor's office of information found on Mr. Brown's computer. He added that he was unsure if additional evidence was available to him.

Mr. Brown remains free on his own recognizance.