DAYTON — The actions of a man in a Dayton bingo hall parking lot led police to a man prosecutors called a ‘child molester’ after he sexually abused and photographed a non-verbal 6-year-old girl with Cerebral Palsy.
Adrian Trochelman was in the parking lot of the Eastown Bingo Hall on Falke Drive in February 2020, when he found a memory card, said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr.
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Trochelman put the memory card in a tablet and found child pornography and immediately contacted police. Police were able to tie a vehicle seen in some of the child porn to Michael Luther.
Further investigation identified Luther and the victim, who has Cerebral Palsy, is nonverbal and confined to a wheelchair. Luther had been entrusted to care for the child while their mother was at work.
Luther was found guilty in August 2020 for four counts of child rape and 18 charges related to the pornography. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole after he’s served 26 years.
“Think about the horror that this defendant inflicted upon this 6-year-old little girl,” said Heck.
“Being non-verbal, confined to a wheelchair and unable to report what the defendant had been doing made her the ideal victim for this defendant to prey on,” Heck said. “Thanks to his willingness to see something say something we’re here today.”
Heck awarded Trochelman Tuesday with the 2022 Champion of Children Award, which is presented to recognize the outstanding efforts of a citizen who has helped protect a child or has shown outstanding work towards protecting children in our community. It was presented as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
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