James F. Renick, 69, of 56 S. Third Ave., Beech Grove,
Indiana, faces one second-degree misdemeanor count of obstructing justice in
Western County Court for reportedly providing a false identity when confronted
by the deputy.
Mug Shot: James F. Renick
One of the swim meet officials contacted county authorities
after Renick made confusing statements about his reason for being at the meet.
Officials said Renick was wearing a photographer’s vest and carried
professional cameras. They’d previously seen him at swim meets at Cleveland
State University, Columbus and Canton, as well as Indiana University-Perdue
University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“(An official) told me that James was instructed to only
take pictures of the children while they were in a certain area of the water
and not while they (were) waiting in the dive area,” the deputy wrote in his
report. “(The official) and I both observed James taking pictures of the
children while they were standing in a restricted area.”
When approached by the deputy, Renick reportedly gave the
deputy a fake name and date of birth. The county dispatcher checking that
information was unable to return any police records, the report states.
Renick “appeared very nervous, his hands began to shake and
he fumbled with removing SD cards from his camera and switching it with
another,” the report states. Renick’s reasons for attending the event changed
multiple times while speaking with the deputy, he noted.
“I told James that I didn’t believe a word he was saying,”
the deputy wrote. “James said he would just leave the facility.”
When asked, Renick also denied being a registered sex
offender or under any conditions preventing him from being around children.
Upon exiting the complex, however, Renick produced his driver’s license and
dispatchers learned he is a registered sex offender for life.
Renick, a former TV news reporter, pleaded guilty in 1996 to
molesting two boys under the age of 10 in Pennsylvania, and served six years in
a Pennsylvania state prison.
According to The (Allentown) Morning Call, authorities
conducting a June 1995 search of Renick’s Pennsylvania home found “thousands of
photographs of young boys naked and in bathing suits” as well as other sexually
explicit material.
The Ashtabula County deputy on Sunday searched three of
Renick’s camera memory cards and while they had many images of children at
sporting events, none of the images were sexually explicit or involved nudity,
the report states.
In 2015, 13 years after he was released from prison, Renick
was caught with camera equipment outside his Indiana home and sentenced to an
additional two years of probation for breaking a condition of his release,
according to The (Scranton) Times-Tribune.
Renick remains in the Ashtabula County jail. He pleaded not guilty
Monday in Western County Court, where his bond was set at $25,000 or 10 percent
cash or surety, with the condition that he have no contact with children or
photography equipment. A court hearing date is set for Aug. 21 in that court.
Court records do not list an attorney for Renick.
Search for sex offenders in your area: Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry
Search for sex offenders in your area: Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry
SOURCE: Star Beacon
SOURCE: The Citizens Voice