3 Steuben men charged in Ohio rapes
BY JOHN ZICK GATEHOUSE MEDIA
VERMILION, OHIO - Three men from Steuben County were arrested Friday, June 6, in Ohio on charges they traveled to suburban Cleveland and had sex with two underage girls they met on the Internet.

Michael Wightman, 18, of Bath; Anthony Edinger, 19, of Beaver Dams; and James Lass, 21, of Prattsburgh; were charged on a variety of misdemeanors and felonies. They remained in jail as of Tuesday, Vermilion Police Chief Robert Kish said Wednesday.

The girls were ages 14 and 15. One victim said she was forcibly raped by Lass, Kish said.

"The guys are saying it was consensual," Kish said.

Accordin g to Kish, Edinger met the 15-year-old on the Internet site MySpace. According to a report in the Morning Journal (Ohio), the communication between the two was not explicit like normal predatory cases.

The men arrived in Vermilion, located approximately 40 miles west of Cleveland, sometime during the evening hours of June 5. They allegedly brought alcohol and marijuana.

The men and the girls partied into the early morning hours at the 15-year-old's home, allegedly having sex multiple times.

The girl's father was working at the time but called home several times to check on the girls, who said everything was OK, Kish said. It wasn't until later the father was informed the men were there.

Police intervened in the case after a Vermilion officer found Wightman walking down a rural road. When approached by the officer, Wightman acted nervous and was found in possession of marijuana and a pipe.

Wightman then led police to Edinger, who was in a nearby car drinking a beer. The officer noticed what appeared to be "hickeys" on the man's neck. Edinger then admitted to having sex with the underage girls, police said.

When police arrived at the girl's house, they found Lass sleeping in the master bedroom.

Initially, the girls were reluctant to talk but eventually told police what happened. The girls were visibly upset, police said.

A third girl, also 14, was at the h ouse but did not have sex with any of the men.

Lass was charged with felony sexual assault, furnishing liquor to a minor and two counts of unlawfu l sexual conduct.

Edinger was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony, underage consumption of alcohol and having an open container in a motor vehicle.

Wightman was charged with misdemeanor unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and underage consumption of alcohol.

Evidence, including rape kits, has been sent to a lab for analysis, and additional charges are possible against the men.

"If we get additional information, we can present that to a grand jury," Kish said.