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Print 10 Comments January 31st , 2012 11:30 am

Convicted sex offender arrested on new charges

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A convicted Elizabethton sex offender has been charged by the Carter County grand jury for soliciting a girl to engage in sexual activity which was observed by the defendant. The mother, who allegedly allowed the girl to reside with the man, has also been arrested.

Leslie Dean Ritchie Jr.

Leslie Dean Ritchie Jr., 41, of 121 Ruby Ave., Lot 5, Elizabethton, was arrested Friday morning by Dep. Dave Ryan of the Carter County Sheriff’s Department on a grand jury presentment charging him with three counts of solicitation of a minor and one count of violation of the sex offender registry. In addition, the girl’s mother was arrested Monday morning. The grand jury had charged her with aiding and abetting.

Lt. Randy Bowers took the case to the Carter County grand jury on Jan. 17. As a result of his investigation, the jury filed the charges against the two individuals. Bowers said the investigation began after the mother and Ritchie broke up their relationship.

According to the presentment, sex offenders are not permitted to live in the same household as children, resulting in the charge of violating the sex offender registry.

The indictment against Ritchie states that the solicitation occurred between June 2010 and April 2011. It states, Ritchie “did commit the offense of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor by intentionally and by means of oral communication commanding, hiring, persuading, inducing or causing (the minor) to engage in sexual activity that is patently offensive.”

In addition, the indictment states, “such sexual activity or simulated activity was observed by Leslie Dean Ritchie Jr.”

Ritchie’s bond was set at $80,000. Ritchie and the girl’s mother will appear in the next available sessions of Carter County Criminal Court.

The indictment does not explain how Ritchie persuaded the child to engage in sexual activity.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which manages the state’s sex offender registry, Ritchie had been placed on the registry after pleading guilty to statutory rape. Ritchie and another man reportedly encouraged a 15-year-old girl to stay out of school in 1996. Ritchie allegedly had sex with the child during the incident. After pleading guilty in the case, Ritchie was sentenced to serve one year in prison.

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Comments

  • Anonymous

    This time, lock the pervert up and throw away the key.

  • Anonymous

    You might as well give him a get out of jail free card. The people we have over seeing these perverts don’t care one way or the other. Acording to the law no sex offender is to have access to the internet but when it is reported that a offender is using the internet to access porn, that they are drinking and staying out past their curfew and the place that is monitering their leg braclet keeps calling every few days to tell the person to get out of a restrickted area, they do nothing at all. These thing go on all the time untill some youg child life is ruined THEN they do something about it. Maybe we should lock a few of the lawers and judges childrew up with these perverts and see how much things change.

  • Anonymous

    I’d like to know why the mother was arrested for aiding and abetting, when she reported him to the police? The police wouldn’t have known about what happened if she didn’t tell them. She is a victim of this pervert too. These criminals find trusting mothers to manipulate. When she found out what he was doing with her daughter she reported it and what does she get? Arrested? Are you kidding me? So what does a mother do when she finds out her child has been exploited, if they have to fear being arrested for doing the right thing? Exactly how is she aiding and abetting? I have no confidence in a system that persecutes the victim. Where is their concern for the child when they put her mother in jail? It makes me sick. I thought the police and the system is supposed to protect and serve. Who are they protecting and who are they serving?

    • Anonymous

      she didnt tell till months later when they broke up

      • http://www.facebook.com/kathryn.mccorkle.baker.demarest Kate Baker

        WRONG! When she found out she went after him. She reported it and the police officer that took the report made a disgusting comment, that the child “had herself a nice little business going on”. No matter what the circumstances, an officer of the law has no business making those kind of comments to a mother who just found out someone she trusted was a pedophile. He wasn’t arrested until now. They broke up a long time ago because she found out what he had done to her child.
        The way the paper reported the story it sounds like she didn’t report it when she found out, which is not what happened.

      • Anonymous

        WRONG! When she found out she went after him. She reported it and the police officer that took the report made a disgusting comment, that the child “had herself a nice little business going on”. No matter what the circumstances, an officer of the law has no business making those kind of comments to a mother who just found out someone she trusted was a pedophile. He wasn’t arrested until now. They broke up a long time ago because she found out what he had done to her child.
        The way the paper reported the story it sounds like she didn’t report it when she found out, which is not what happened.

        • Anonymous

          she knew he was a reg. sex offender going into the relationship. she is just as guilty for letting her child be around him. she worked nights at a tanning salon and left them home alone. she should have never left her 15 yr. old girl with him knowing he was reg. sex off,

  • Anonymous

    This guy had a facebook for almost 2 years!

    • Anonymous

      Why was you one of his facebook friends..

  • Anonymous

    Our legal system cares more about the criminal than the people that have been hurt. I have personel knolege of a case where a chil went to his mother and stated that his father had done some things to him. She went to the police the same day. they said there was not enough evidence to doo anything about iy. The father was already had two convictions for indence exposure and also has several cases of indence exposure and attempted kidnaping of young (7-9 year olds) Girls. He then went own and was caught exposing himself to more chilren. These events except for his son were all reported here in the Star. He has never had to doo anymore than servre a a few months in the county lockup. In which me is given a private room that he only has to share with another prevert, he never has to be with other criminals because they have no use for pervert eather. He says that it’s not so bad. He even smuggles contrband into CC lockups without fear.

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