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Catholic Foundation Executive Scott Hartman Arrested on Child Sex Abuse Charges
Read the full articleHartman was terminated immediately as the Franklin County Sheriff's Office filed grooming and pandering charges following an ICAC task force investigation.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/catholic-foundation-executive-charged-sex-192658254.html
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Scott Richard Hartman, 49, of Westerville, was arrested Oct. 1 by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and faces criminal charges alleging online sexual abuse of a minor, authorities announced.
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Scott Richard Hartman, 49, of Westerville, was arrested Oct. 1 by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office at his home while deputies were executing a search warrant there, according to the sheriff's office.
Hartman served as senior vice president and chief development officer at The Catholic Foundation, which supports Catholic causes throughout the 23-county Diocese of Columbus.
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Hartman was the Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the Catholic Foundation. The organization supports Catholic causes throughout the 23-county Diocese of Columbus, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Following the arrest, The Catholic Foundation announced that Hartman was "immediately terminated" from his post.
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The Catholic Foundation said in an email to The Dispatch that Hartman was "immediately terminated" upon his arrest.
"The Catholic Foundation, a foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, holds its employees to a high standard of conduct with regular and thorough background verification processes," the foundation said.
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"The Catholic Foundation, a foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, holds its employees to a high standard of conduct with regular and thorough background verification processes," the foundation said. "Any violation, whether alleged or credible, is met with a swift response. "
Hartman had a lengthy tenure at the organization, having worked as senior vice president of development and grants administration from 2002 to 2013 before returning in May 2017 as vice president and rising to senior vice president and chief development officer in January 2023, according to employment records.
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Hartman's LinkedIn page shows he worked at the Foundation as senior vice president of development and grants administration from 2002 to 2013 before returning in May 2017 as vice president. He became senior vice president and chief development officer in January 2023 before being terminated.
Hartman faces one misdemeanor charge of grooming alongside felony charges of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and pandering an obscenity involving a minor, the sheriff's office announced.
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He faces a misdemeanor charge of grooming, and felony charges of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and pandering an obscenity involving a minor. Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
Officials added that additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
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He faces a misdemeanor charge of grooming, and felony charges of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and pandering an obscenity involving a minor. Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
Deputies said the inquiry began in April after a teenage girl reported to school counselors that she was engaged in an online relationship with Hartman.
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The investigation into Hartman began in April after a teenage girl reported to school counselors that she was in an online relationship with Hartman, according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators stated the relationship lasted approximately six months and included text messages and video calls involving video sex acts and the exchange of nude images and videos.
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The relationship included text messages and video calls involving video sex acts and the exchange of nude images and videos, the sheriff's office said. The relationship went on for six months before it was discovered.
Detectives with the sheriff's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force determined that Hartman tried to meet the teenager in person for sex.
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The sheriff's office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) analyzed communications between the victim and Hartman, and investigators learned that Hartman tried to meet the teenager in person for sex, the sheriff's office said. The ICAC also found that Hartman convinced the teenager to delete any evidence of the relationship and tried to hide the fact that she was a minor.
At least one of his social media accounts was shut down and reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to authorities.
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At least one of his social media accounts were also shut down and reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the sheriff's office said.
Hartman was taken into custody without incident and confessed to the allegations, the sheriff's office said.
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Hartman was taken into custody without incident and confessed to the allegations, according to the sheriff's office. Several of his electronic communication devices were also seized as part of the investigation.