Serving Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wood Counties
Austin Sabo, a former police officer who was most recently employed in Walbridge, pleaded guilty in Ottawa County Common Pleas Court to charges of a slew of sex-related crimes.
Sabo, 24, pleaded guilty to four counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and one count each of rape, sexual battery, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
While sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 9, Sabo must register as a tier 3 sex offender, where he has to register with a county sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life. Once sentenced, he’ll have a mandatory five years of probation after prison.
The Ottawa County Major Crimes Unit originally executed a search warrant of Sabo’s Oak Harbor residence on Nov. 27 of last year. A K-9 then found several devices that investigators seized as evidence.
That same day, Sabo was fired from his part-time police officer position with the Village of Walbridge, where he had been hired in a probationary role the previous month.
Sabo was originally charged with 25 counts of various crimes, including the exchange of nude images with a 17-year-old girl. Authorities identified multiple victims throughout the investigation, including the rape of a victim less than 13 years of age. Court documents showed that between May 20 and Sept. 30 in 2019, Sabo engaged in sexual conduct with a 12-year-old.
