Akron police officer Geoffrey Parker, escorted into the courtroom by two agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, was arraigned in the Niles Municipal Court on Wednesday, where he faces seven felonies relating to creating and sharing child pornography.
“The court is very concerned that there are seven different charges,” Judge Christopher Shaker said during the hearing, as Parker stood in handcuffs connected to a chain around his waist and wearing the same DILF T-shirt he was arrested in. Shaker noted that Parker is a public servant and “the children are of such a young age.” The judge set his bond at $1 million “in order to protect the public.”
According to the criminal complaints, Parker is facing five felony charges for sharing “sexually explicit videos with minors engaging in sex acts” and two felonies for photographing a 5-year-old child “in a state of nudity” and then sharing those photographs online in order to “receive other explicit images of children.”
All seven charges are second-degree felonies and are alleged to have occurred between Aug. 13 and 16 at his home in Mineral Ridge, just outside of Niles in Trumbull County.
Niles prosecutor explains how Parker caught the attention of police
Niles City Prosecutor Philip Zuzolo told Signal Akron that Parker was involved in a group using the Kik application. He said Parker uploaded images of the minor as a “quid pro quo” to receive material from other users.
He said the day Parker sent the files – Aug. 13 – an artificial intelligence program flagged them as potential child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and sent the content to a task force in Washington, D.C., for a human to analyze the files.
The case was quickly referred to the Ohio BCI, whose agents arrested Parker at the Akron Police Department headquarters on Aug. 16. He was booked into the Summit County Jail on a “courtesy” hold.
When Parker was detained by BCI agents, Zuzolo said that Parker “made admissions” about some of the allegations.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Shaker set Parker’s bond at $1 million. If he posts it, Parker is barred from returning to his home because it is near a school or having contact with his children. When Shaker asked him where would stay, Parker said a sister in Brookfield might take him in.
In order for Parker to get out of jail while the case is pending, Zuzolo told Signal Akron that Parker would have to pay a bail bondsman a $100,000 fee for the bondsman to pay the $1 million cost of the bail. Parker would not get the $100,000 back..
The 34-year-old Parker joined the Akron Police Department in June 2020. According to court records and social media, Parker is married and has two children.
On Monday, Parker will face another hearing in Niles Municipal Court, where it will be determined whether there is probable cause for the charges. If so, the case will be sent to a grand jury at the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas.
Signal Akron has requested the contents of Parker’s personnel file but has not yet received it.