Judge Denies Bond Amendment Request Involving Former Fire Chief

AVON, Ohio — A former Avon fire chief appeared in court on Monday for a pre-trial hearing in which a Lorain County Judge denied the prosecution's request to amend the bond conditions of Frank Root, Jr., according to reports.

Root, who served as the city’s fire chief from 199 until her retired in 2006, is facing felony charges of pandering sexually explicit material to a minor. During Monday’s hearing, assistant county prosecutor Chris Pierre requested that the judge place conditions on the 81-year-old former chief’s ability to have contact with the victim in the case, The Morning Journal reported on Monday.

Root was arrested last fall for pandering the explicit material to the victim, who lives next door to Root and who suffers from a disability. The material in question, The Morning Journal reported, involves a photo that was taken 40 years ago that a family member received from Root. Root has pleaded not guilty to the felony charges.

Root was arrested again in August for public indecency after police received a complaint from a neighbor that Root was urinating in his back yard and exposing himself. Root is set to appear back in court on that charge on Nov. 10. No court date has been set for the felony charges stemming from the felony charges.

According to the Morning Journal, defense attorney Denise Wilms said the indecent exposure charge is without merit as Root recently underwent a heart procedure and is taking medication, a side effect of which is the need to urinate more frequently. She said Root was in his back yard and hidden from view by the door of his vehicle when the incident took place, the newspaper reported.