By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
A former Wood County Fair Board director was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison for preying on and grooming three members of the 4-H program.
On Thursday, Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman handed down a minimum sentence of 17 years and a maximum sentence of 21 years to Brock Abke, 31, of Perrysburg. He pleaded guilty in May on two counts each of second-degree and fourth-degree felonies for pandering obscenity involving a minor, a fifth-degree felony for grooming, and two misdemeanor counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Before sentencing him, Kuhlman said, “We’re very lucky that the victims here were able to report and stop this type of behavior before it expanded to more victims or potentially before the level of engagement that you have with these victims increased to something physical.”
Abke, who served on the fair board from 2015-2018 and again in 2024-25, was indicted in November 2025 for activity that occurred between June 4, 2024, and Aug. 8, 2025. The crimes with three known victims included pandering by creating or publishing obscene material that had a minor participant; purchasing or possessing obscene material that had a minor participant; grooming (amended from the original charge of importuning) by building a relationship with a minor with plans to exploit or sexually abuse them; and contributing to the delinquency of minors.
Only one of the victims was present at the court proceeding, along with family members.
“I am a victim of Brock Emerson Abke. That is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life,” was the beginning of the now 17-year-old victim’s statement, read by attorney Christopher Zografides.
The victim was 13 when he met Abke in his role as a fair board director who was involved in the junior fair component of the fair. “He was someone I trusted and thought he cared about me.”
As a result of the advances Abe=ke made, gifts he gave and explicit messages he sent, the victim said, “I can no longer be myself around people. The pain and shame this has caused me is so deep that I can’t fully describe it.”
According to the victim and the victim’s mother, who spoke during the proceeding, the biggest loss was not being able to show livestock at the county fair. Showing livestock was part of who he was.
“The emotional toll of this experience on our family has been profound,” she said, explaining that the trauma forced them to step away from the community that had been her son’s joy and purpose. “What was once a safe and positive part of his life has become a painful reminder of the harm he experienced.”
Because of the pain he’s caused, the victim said, Abke deserves a maximum sentence … and to walk around the rest of his life in shame for his actions.”
Defense attorney Aaron Schwartz asked the judge to consider community control instead of incarceration because Abke had been “extraordinarily cooperative throughout the process,” from the initial conversation with a detective to attending all the court proceedings. “He denied nothing and fully admitted his actions and behavior,” Schwartz stated.
Abke apologized for his actions and took “full responsibility for the choices I made and understand that they have consequences” for the victims, and he and his family, who were there to support him.
He has been unemployed, lost professional certifications and relationships with family and friends. “All these losses have been painful,” he said, admitting he understood they were because of his choices.
“I understand that trust is earned through actions and not words,” he told the judge. “I am ready to continue doing the work necessary to prove that I can as a responsible, law-abiding citizen.”
Wood County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Brian Boos pointed out that the first factor listed for felony sentencing refers to the need to protect the public from future crimes.
“The conduct in this case and the pre-sentence report demonstrate the defendant is someone the public—specifically children—need protection from,” he said. “You’ve got a 30-year-old man texting all these kids. Snapchatting kids. Supplying them with vapes, alcohol… things they should not have. He acknowledged how he targeted them. … That’s what grooming is.”
The investigation found his actions “went beyond just soliciting pictures. Eventually, it became soliciting sexual activity,” Boos said. “And it’s not one child; there’s three victims in the case.”
In handing down the sentence, Kuhlman said in both second-degree felonies, “there is a presumption in favor of prison. I do think it’s unrealistic to expect community control.”
Pandering obscenity is a common charge in his court, Kuhlman said. The difference between the majority of cases and Abke’s is that the crime is usually impersonal, perpetrated over the computer. “These are not people that you (Abke) didn’t know over the internet. … You put yourself in a position of trust where they would look up to you.” He also admonished Abke for using his first victim to find the other victims.
At the close of the sentencing, Abke was remanded to the Wood County Sheriff to be transported to the Justice Center for evaluation before being transferred to a correctional facility governed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.
