Indictment A 51 year old Arcanum man is facing 43 criminal charges in Mercer County Common Pleas Court following a grand jury indictment alleging sexual offenses and other conduct involving five victims over a period dating back to 2013.

George K. Byrd was indicted August 20 in Mercer County Common Pleas Court in case 26-CRM-094. The indictment includes 25 counts of Gross Sexual Imposition, 12 counts of Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity Oriented Material or Performance, five counts of Public Indecency and one count of Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles.

The 25 Gross Sexual Imposition charges are all third degree felonies under Ohio Revised Code 2907.05(A)(4). According to the indictment, those allegations involve five victims and span several different periods between 2013 and October 2025. The indictment alleges the victims involved in those counts were under the age of 13 at the time of the alleged sexual contact.

The earliest allegations listed in the indictment date to a period beginning January 1, 2013. Several of the earlier counts allege incidents in Darke County, while a number of later Gross Sexual Imposition counts allege conduct in Mercer County. The indictment does not identify the alleged victims by name and instead refers to them by number.

One count of Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles, a first degree misdemeanor, alleges conduct in Miami County sometime between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022. According to the indictment, Byrd allegedly showed a juvenile material or a performance considered harmful to juveniles.

Byrd is also charged with five counts of Public Indecency, all fourth degree misdemeanors. Those allegations involve separate periods between 2021 and 2024 in Mercer County. The indictment alleges Byrd recklessly exposed himself under circumstances in which his conduct was likely to be viewed by people in his physical proximity who were not members of his household.

The most recent allegations in the case involve 12 counts of Illegal Use of a Minor in Nudity Oriented Material or Performance, each a fifth degree felony. Those alleged offenses are dated between July 8 and July 14, 2026, in Mercer County and/or Darke County. The indictment alleges Byrd recklessly possessed or viewed material or a performance showing a minor, who was not his child or ward, in a state of nudity.

The indictment was returned as a true bill by the Mercer County Grand Jury on August 20. Court records provided to WCSM show a warrant was subsequently issued for Byrd, and he was arrested Thursday, August 27 before being brought into custody.

The case now moves through Mercer County Common Pleas Court. Additional information from Byrd's court proceedings, including bond and future hearing dates, can be added as it becomes available.

An indictment is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. It is not a finding of guilt, and Byrd is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.