BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)— A 53-year-old former municipal worker has entered a guilty plea to multiple felony charges involving the exploitation of a minor or impaired person.
Anthony E. Vanhouten appeared in court this week for a change of plea hearing, where he admitted to five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person. Each of these charges is classified as a second-degree felony.
As part of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors, 15 additional pandering charges originally filed against Vanhouten were dismissed. Crawford County Judge Sean Leuthold sentenced Van Houten to 25-27.5 years with jail time credit, one of the harshests sentences handed down in Crawford County Common Pleas Court in recent years. He will a be designated a tier 2 sex offender.
Vanhouten was initially taken into custody on January 29 while on duty as a city employee. He has remained in custody on a million dollar bond since his arrest.. VanHouten will receive jail time credit.