Cox pleads guilty to child endangering

Shelley Terry, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
·1 min read

Apr. 19—JEFFERSON — A Painesville man pleaded guilty April 12 to felony attempted child endangering, according to Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court records.

Dennis Cox, 61, who owns homes in Painesville and Pierpont, pleaded guilty at his arraignment before Common Pleas Court Judge Marianne Sezon, court records show.

No date has been set for his sentencing, but he could be sentenced to up to 18 months in jail, $5,000 in fines and up to two years of post-release control, according to court records.

In January 2021, Cox was accused of gross sexual imposition, but just before the start of the trial in July 2022, prosecutors dismissed the charges without prejudice, according to court records.

County Prosecutor Colleen O'Toole said the police officer was not available for the scheduled trial date and Sezon denied the prosecution's request for a continuance.

The prosecution then re-indicted Cox by resubmitting the charges to a grand jury and got another indictment, records show.

Last December, prosecutors again dismissed the three counts of gross sexual imposition without prejudice, according to court records.

Cleveland attorney Jerome Emoff represented Cox.