Lebanon man accused of compelling boy to prostitution posts bond

A Lebanon man accused of soliciting sex from a boy in a series of text messages sent in July was free on a $15,000 bond, posted after his arraignment on Wednesday in Warren County Common Pleas Court.

Before the arraignment, Patrick Gallagher, 50, had been in the Warren County Jail, held without bond on a charge of compelling prostitution, according to jail records.

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Gallagher was arrested on Friday at his home after a Warren County grand jury issued an indictment in the case.

According to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell, Gallagher’s charge stems from text messages he sent to the alleged victim after talking to him at an area restaurant where he worked as a busboy.

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Gallagher offered the boy employment and left him a business card, according to Fornshell.

He then offered to pay for sex in texts sent after the boy responded to the job solicitation after consulting with his father, Fornshell said.

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On Wednesday, Magistrate Andrew Hasselbach said Gallagher was barred from contact with the alleged victim as a condition of his bond.

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A hearing to appoint Gallagher an attorney was set for Nov. 1.

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