PORTSMOUTH- Scioto County Sheriff ,David Thoroughman, states that his Office was contacted on Monday, May 29, 2023, by the Portsmouth Police Department stating that they had received a call from a concerned citizen. The concerned citizen advised the Portsmouth Police that they had observed several juveniles getting into a vehicle with two adult males and that it looked suspicious. A description of the vehicle, along with the tag number, was given out to the patrol officers.

Officers made a traffic stop on the vehicle, resulted in the Sheriff’s Office being contacted to begin a Special Victims Investigation (S.V.U.).

Thoroughman stated that the Portsmouth Police Department, who are part of the Prosecutor’s Special Victim Unit along with the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, contacted Detective Sergeant Jodi Conkel. Sgt. Conkel discovered that the victim, a 13-year-old female from Lucasville, was picked up after having a conversation on snapchat with one of the adult males. The group then drove to Portsmouth and picked up two more juvenile girls.

Evidence was collected, which included the messages between the suspect and victim as well as the exchange of inappropriate photo’s being sent to the victim. The investigation revealed that suspect had drove from Mansfield, Ohio to pick up the victim, along with two other juvenile girls, to have sexual conduct with one or all the juveniles.

Arrested was Robert Lamont Tubbs Jr, age 20, of Mansfield, Ohio. Tubbs has been charged Attempted Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, a felony of the 4th degree, Disseminating Matter Harmful to a Juvenile, a felony of the 4th degree, Importuning, a felony of the 3rd degree, and Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor, a felony of the 5th degree. Tubbs is being held in the Scioto County Jail on a $25,500 bond

Sheriff Thoroughman stated that this investigation showcases the cooperative relationship of all law enforcement within Scioto County and the importance of citizens to call law enforcement when they observe suspicious activity.