A Perrysburg man who has sex with a minor but who maintains she lied about her age will be required to register as a sex offender.
Max Stewart, 23, appeared Tuesday in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matt Reger.
He was indicted in September 2023 for two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and pandering obscenity involving a minor or impaired person, all fourth-degree felonies; and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony.
He pleaded guilty in July to the amended charge of attempted unlawful conduct with a minor and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
The remaining two charges were dismissed.
Defense attorney Christopher Lawrence said his client had no previous record.
He said the victim told Stewart she was 16 and was driving her own car when they had sex.
The age of consent in Ohio is 16.
“Max isn’t the only person who was misled about her age,” he said.
While talking to police, she told them she was 17 about to turn 18 and provided an altered ID, he said.
She was 15 years old at the time of the offense; 110 days later, there would have been no crime, Lawrence said.
His client will now have the stigma was being a sex offender for 15 years, he said.
“The facts of this case sets it apart from other unlawful sexual conduct cases,” he said.
Stewart wasn’t trying to engage in sexual relationships with a person he knew was under 16, he said.
Reger imposed a sentence of 30 days in jail followed by five years on community control.
Stewart must undergo sex offender assessment and have no contact with the victim.
He will have to register as a Tier I sex offender, which will require him to register annually for 15 years.
