BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)–A former Bucyrus man’s reign of terror against his family came to an end yesterday in the Crawford County Common Pleas Court.
Lovell Wareham, 34, who is currently serving a prison sentence for domestic violence and intimidation appeared before Judge Sean Leuthold for sentencing, following a plea deal.
According to court documents, Wareham reportedly forced a 14 year old victim to take nude photographs using his phone from November 2024 to March 2025, unbeknownst to the child’s mother. Wareham was in a long term relationship with the victim’s mother.
Just weeks before his recent prison sentence, Wareham confessed a desire to engage in sexual activities with the minor, not realizing this confession was recorded by the victim’s mother. She contacted authorities.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation. After speaking with the victim, they became aware of the nude photographs possibly still on Wareham’s phone.
Further inquiry into recorded jail calls revealed that Wareham instructed his mother to hide the device.
When authorities eventually got a search warrant and seized the phone from Wareham’s mother, they found the pictures the victim had described.
Upon learning from his mother that police had his phone, Wareham told his mother he would “die in prison.” Collaboratively, the two of them devised a false narrative to discredit the victim and the mother.
Wareham’s mother, Stacy Brady is awaiting sentencing for her role in the crimes.
The sentencing hearing, which lasted approximately three hours outlined in deep detail the horrendous crimes committed against Wareham’s victim.
With surgical precision, Assistant Prosecutor Dan Stanley painted a gruesome picture of the damage Wareham inflicted upon his victim.
Stanley shared several phone calls made from jail by Wareham where he remained indignant, presented a facade that he was a “father figure” to his victim, expressed rage and jealousy over any interaction the victim had with persons close to their own age while bragging about his own sexual prowess as age 14.
Pictures that the victim was forced to take at Wareham’s demand, were so graphic that Judge Leuthold along with both attorneys went into chambers to view them. Judge Leuthold called them “difficult to view.”
In referring to the pictures, Stanley told the court: “Those are the pictures he was having the child victim to take on one hand while on the other hand he was beating people up and jealous as we heard in the phone calls.”
Stanley asked the court to sentence Wareham to 80 years in prison.
Defense attorney Benjamin Thompson told the court the did not want to minimize his client’s conviction but pointed out to the court that there was no physical damage done to the victim and asked the court to impose a sentence that would allow Wareham to have life after prison and be able to see his children again.
Wareham then tried to give a statement to his victims but Judge Leuthold stopped him twice and then discontinued his opportunity to speak further. Leuthold told Wareham that he was not going to use his statement to further manipulate his victims. Wareham then addressed the Judge saying that he had a fantasy and a sex addiction that he was now seeking treatment for. Wareham referred to himself as a victim and continued to try to make the proceeding about himself. Judge Leuthold, clearly unmoved, pronounced his sentence.
Leuthold first addressed the victim in the case: “Nothing in this case is your fault…there’s only one person at fault here and that’s him, not you. NOT YOUR FAULT…HIS FAULT.”
Judge Leuthold went into graphic detail regarding his evaluation of Wareham’s crimes; and his continued attempted manipulation of the victims.Leuthold noted the physical, emotional, and psychological damage Wareham visited on his victim.
Calling Wareham a “textbook case” of an offender who tries to manipulate his victims while minimizing his own behavior. Leuthold told Wareham:
“It’s easy to say all kinds of stuff, how about you do something? You terrorized this family through violence. You robbed this poor young child of the ability to have a normal life; something they will carry with them for the rest of their life. You premeditated this, you hid this, and you would have continued to get away with it if you could. You came in here today trying to make your victims feel sorry for you.” Leuthold said.
Leuthold told the state that he was not going to sentence Wareham to 80 years in prison, he also told the defense that he wasn’t getting the minimum sentence either.
Leuthold sentenced Wareham to 24-28 years in prison on plus 234 months in prison. The sentence will run consecutive to his current sentence. Wareham will also be a tier II registered sex offender.
In a comment to Crawford County Now following the sentencing, Assistant Prosecutor Dan Stanley recognized Crawford County Sheriff’s Detective Tyler Winkleman. “Had Detective Winkleman not gone above and beyond to get that phone, this case would not have happened.”