Photos of athletes part of case against Scott Blankenburg

HAMILTON — Defense attorneys for Fairfield pediatrician R. Scott Blankenburg say thousands of photos taken of Hamilton High School athletes during the past 20 years are no different that action shot taken by news photographers.

Butler County Assistant Prosecutor Lance Salyers agreed Scott Blakenburg and his twin brother Mark Blankenburg did use their league passes for the sideline to take photos of students in action and those photos were presented to athletes at the end of the season.

But it is the leftover pictures of those athletes — all boys — found at Scott Blakenburg residence that fed his “a specific, continuing, very specific appetite for teenage boys.”

Scott Blankenburg, 53, is facing 22 felony charges, including corruption of a minor, gross sexual imposition, compelling prostitution, pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor and bribery.

He is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 24 before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Noah Powers. His brother Mark faces separate charges.

During a hearing to suppress evidence today, Aug. 6, the prosecution showed thousands of photographs. They were pictures taken by the doctors showing male athletes.

Salyers projected 117 photos of a Hamilton football players during pregame stretching.

“They are always from behind, with his rear exposed, up in the air,” Salyer said.

Hundreds of photos the prosecutor said were taken by the doctors of private moments off the field were shown in the courtroom, all showing close ups of private areas.

“This isn’t football, this isn’t (newspaper coverage),” Salyers said.

The assistant prosecutor said the large number of photographs are evidence of child erotica.

But defense attorney Jack Garretson said the photo are not proof any sexual acts as alleged in the indictment.

He added it also blurs the cases against both doctors who will receive two separate trials.

“They (the prosecution) know that 70 percent is Mark Blankenburg,” Garretsons said while pointing to the boxes of photographs.

Powers ruled the photos would be admitted as evidence, “relative to motive and intent specifically to child erotica.”

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