Ohio woman pretended to be boy to date teen girl
A 31-year-old woman who posed as a teenage boy, cutting her hair and using male aliases so she could date teenage girls, has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in jail. Patricia Dye also was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and follow any recommended treatment.
Prosecutors have said Dye tricked at least two teenage girls into dating her, although charges were filed in connection with only one, a 16-year-old. She was arrested in June after the girl ran away from home for a few days and stayed with Dye for at least part of that time, authorities said.
Dye pleaded guilty yesterday to three misdemeanour charges: sexual imposition, attempted sexual imposition and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Warren County Juvenile Court Judge Mike Powell in Lebanon, about 40 kilometres north of Cincinnati, sentenced Dye to jail and put her on probation for two years.
He also ordered Dye not to have contact with the victim or the victim's family and classified her as a sexual offender, which requires her to register with authorities every six months for 15 years.
"This woman victimised a young girl and needed to be punished for her actions," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Bruce McGary said in a statement. "Equally important is that we monitor and make sure that Ms Dye does not have any victims in the future."
A statement from the 16-year-old victim was read in court, the Dayton Daily News reported.
"I'm even scared to walk my dog," she said in the statement. "I used to trust people. Now I don't."
