Man arrested for beating up teen he allegedly caught raping a 5-year-old
(Meredith) – An Ohio man was arrested for attacking a teenager who he allegedly caught raping a 5-year-old boy, police said.
Richard Adams, 20, said he walked into the laundry room of his Eastlake home last Thursday and saw a 17-year-old sexually assaulting the child, WJW-TV reported.
“I kinda blacked out,” Adams told the station. “I wanted to help the young boy, and that’s all I was thinking about… getting it stopped.”
Adams said he screamed for someone to call 911 and then began fighting the teen. He then posted a video of the bloodied teen to Facebook, which he later deleted, according to WJW.
Once officers arrived to the home, they arrested the 17-year-old who was later charged with rape, the Eastlake News-Herald reported. Adams was booked on felonious assault charges.
Adams’ relationship to the teen was not immediately clear.
Following Adams’ arrest, frustrated residents bombarded the Eastlake Police Department with angry phone calls and emails demanding that the assault charge be dropped.
“We truly understand the interest, passion and concerns with this type of case. It has been processed by the court and will continue to go through the system,” the department wrote in response.
“To attack people within the system to achieve a certain outcome is not what justice is about. We appreciate the impact that this story has had on the community and beyond but we expect people to be civil in expressing their disagreement and/or support of what has and will take place.”
Adams posted bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 2, according to the Willoughby Municipal Court.
The 17-year-old’s identity has not been released.