Grand jury indicts fired Youngstown police officer

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The former city police officer, fired after he was accused of taking nude pictures of a 14-year-old girl and allegedly soliciting sex from her now faces a dozen charges.
The Mahoning County Grand Jury on Thursday handed up a twelve count indictment against former Detective Sergeant Robert Lodwick.
The indictment charges the 40-year-old with two counts of importuning, two counts of pandering sexually oriented material, and eight counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material.
The Ohio Revised Code defines the importuning charge as using a telecommunications device to solicit a person between the ages of 13 and 16 for sexual activity.
Lodwick was fired from the department on June 14, after being charged in municipal court.
Assistant Ohio Attorney General Angela Canepa has been appointed as a special prosecutor to handle the case.
The indictment comes on the same day the Youngstown Board of Control agreed to pay nearly $23,000 in severance, unpaid sick, vacation and comp time owed to Lodwick.
The city says it has no legal basis to deny the money Lodwick earned prior to his termination.