A former Akron, Ohio, police officer pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to a child sex abuse case.
Geoffrey Parker, 34, of Mineral Ridge is facing up to 65 years in prison after pleading guilty in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to three counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, three counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, one count of gross sexual imposition and one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor, the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release on Thursday, Oct. 31.
When Parker appeared in court, he wore a shirt reading “DILF – Devoted, Involved, Loving Father.”
Parker, who was previously placed on unpaid leave, also resigned on Thursday, WKYC and FOX 8 reported.
Before he is sentenced by Judge Ronald J. Rice, Parker will undergo a background investigation. The former police officer must also legally declare himself as a Tier 2 sexual offender — which means that following his prison release, “Parker will have to register with a local sheriff’s office twice per year for the next 25 years,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Geoffrey Parker mugshot.
Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office
According to FOX 8, Parker was arrested on Aug. 16 around 9 p.m. local time and booked into the Summit County Jail by the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation Unit.
At the time, he was placed on administrative leave with pay until charges were brought against him.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation began looking into Parker after the department traced a nude photo of a 4-year-old girl to the former police officer. He was also convicted of taking nude images of himself with young children, the press release states.
The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office said Parker’s conversations were tied “to an online chatroom app.” The crime with the 4-year-old took place in Weathersfield.
Parker was also accused of “sharing of sexually explicit videos with minors engaging in sex acts and photographing a child in a state of nudity and then sharing the picture online to receive other explicit images of children,” according to a complaint, per NBC4i.
“I am sickened to learn of these charges against one of our employees,” Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said in an August press release, per FOX 8. “I thank the Bureau of Criminal Investigation for handling this case and trust that the judicial and legal process will reveal the truth. Anyone engaging in this behavior should be held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent possible by law. I’m confident that justice will be served.”
Parker remains in Trumbull County jail, held on a $1 million bond. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 26.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
