Greenfield man convicted of compelling prostitution sentenced to prison

A Greenfield man convicted at trial of five charges, including two counts of compelling prostitution, was sentenced Thursday morning to two and a half years in prison.

As previously reported, in December 2023, Ryan O. Coleman, 35, of Greenfield was indicted and charged with two counts of compelling prostitution, both third-degree felonies; disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony; attempted corrupting another with drugs, a fifth-degree felony; and trafficking in marijuana, a fifth-degree felony.

It was reported by the Greenfield Police Department in October that Coleman reached out to a 17-year-old on social media, asking the juvenile to engage in sexual contact in exchange for marijuana.

The teenager reported the incident to a school resource officer, who contacted the Greenfield Police Department.

Detectives with the Greenfield Police Department and the Highland County Task Force began an investigation. It was arranged – with officers present – for the juvenile to respond back to Coleman via social media. Coleman agreed to meet the juvenile at Mitchell Park, at which time GPD made the arrest. A search warrant also was executed at Coleman's McClain Avenue home on Oct. 12.

Following a trial that started June 10 and concluded with closing arguments and jury instructions the morning of June 11, the jury deliberated for approximately two and a half hours before finding Coleman guilty of all five counts as alleged in the indictment. (For more, see the story at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/greenfield-man-found-guilty-compel…).

Of those five counts, Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins told Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss that counts one and two would merge, as would counts four and five, with the state electing to have Coleman sentenced on counts one (compelling prostitution), three (disseminating matter harmful to juveniles) and five (trafficking in marijuana).

Prior to sentencing, Coss said that Coleman would be classified as a tier II sex offender and explained Coleman’s duties to register. Tier II offenders are required to register every 180 days for 25 years.

Collins asked Coss to “impose a term of incarceration in this case,” with “count three running concurrent to count one and count five running to consecutive to count one,” which is what the judge ultimately did.

“We would note the strength of the victim in this case for actually not just coming forward, but [going] through the testimony in this case and the embarrassment of the testimony in this case,” Collins said. “I’m not going to rehash the entire trial. The court saw the evidence, you've heard the testimony. This is egregious behavior that Mr. Coleman was completely unapologetic for, thought that what he was doing was perfectly OK.

“I think that his lack of remorse was more than evident when he took the stand in his own defense. He was argumentative, he was blatant about what he wanted, and I think based on that, he is a threat to the community of the Village of Greenfield as well as Highland County.”

The victim in the case elected not to attend the hearing.

Defense attorney Clyde Bennett advocated for “community control coupled with treatment for sexual misconduct,” or if the judge was unwilling to consider that, then the minimum possible prison sentence. He argued that Coleman “has lived his entire life in exemplary fashion” prior to this conviction.

As brought out at trial, Coleman said that he was an Army veteran who served two combat tours to Afghanistan, working in both Kuwait and Afghanistan before returning to Ohio and serving as a police officer for two Brown County departments before more recently being an advanced EMT for an area medical transportation company.

“He erred tremendously, and significantly, by involving himself with [the victim],” Bennett said. “I will say that the person who stands before you now is not the ignorant, defiant person that took the stand and presented to the jury. I think the last two or three weeks in jail has been an awakening, and he understands the wrongness of his conduct. He’s regretful for his conduct. He’s sorry for his conduct, and he makes no excuses for his conduct.”
 
Bennett spoke about the factors that go into determining whether an offender should be sentenced to prison.

“I think 50 days in jail is suffering,” Bennett said. “I think a loss of your license, loss of your employment, characterization and registration as a sexual offender for practically the rest of your life — that is punishment. Punishment has already occurred and will continue to occur in the future.”

The defense attorney also pointed out that Coleman had “no criminal record with the exception of traffic offenses” leading up to this case, while in the months leading up to his trial since being indicted in December, he “behaved in a manner that was consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public,” primarily going to work as usual and “doing nothing to endanger anyone.”

Bennett also assured the judge that Coleman understands the seriousness of trying to get “involved with a minor.

“From his presentation, you will see that he gets it,” Bennett said. “I don't know if he understood that before, but I think — I know — he gets it now. He’s a different person, Judge, than the person who sat before you and took the stand.”

Coleman read a written statement in addressing the judge, apologizing to his own family as well as to the court, the victim and the victim’s family.

“I take full responsibility for my actions conducted on the 11th of October, 2023, and for that, I am truly sorry,” Coleman said. “I’ve lost every license, certificate and credential that I’ve ever earned, along with the respect and trust of my friends, family and society as a whole. I will forever be regretful for the delusional and senseless actions I made and for the turmoil I have created.

“Your Honor, I ask that you take into consideration all the good things that I’ve done and not only the 24 hours in which I made a lapse in good judgment. I am not a threat to the community, but an asset to our society.”

Coss acknowledged that Coleman “had a good record, served our country and have been a first responder and done very well in your life, and that he is “obviously intelligent and well-spoken.

“It’s not just about who you are, it’s about what you did,” Coss said. “The offense that a person commits, no matter who they are, no matter what type of citizen they have been — that’s what has to be considered.

“Your attitude today is much different than it was at the trial. I thought that your testimony came across as very smug, arrogant, condescending. You were too much. Had you had the attitude you have now, perhaps that might have made a difference, although the facts of the case were against you.”

Coss added that he does not typically grant community control for sex offenses.

“The thing that’s concerning here is with the internet, social media, texting — the children and young people of our country are exposed to consistent danger on a daily basis,” Coss said. “It’s just terrifying.

“It opens them up to a world of predators, and your actions were those of a predator. You were clearly trying to entice this [victim] to have sex, and you knew that [the victim] was underage. That's what we have to be concerned about.”

In this instance, the judge said he was “really concerned” by “this type of conduct.

“It is a danger,” Coss said. “It’s exactly what our children have to be protected from, and so the message I have to send here isn’t simply about punishing you for your acts, and also hopefully deterring future persons who might commit these offenses, but also protecting the children in the community.

“The other thing that’s egregious about it is that you’re a first responder and former police officer, and so I think that you are exploiting that as well, in terms of thinking ‘well, I’ll be able to get by with this because of my record,’ which I think came across in your testimony.”

Coss sentenced Coleman to 24 months on the compelling prostitution charge, consecutive to six months on the trafficking in marijuana charge and concurrent to six months on the disseminating matter harmful to juveniles charge. Coleman had 47 days of jail time credit.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.