A former Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper assigned to the Granville post in Licking County was found not guilty of child pornography-related charges after a one-day bench trial in Licking County Common Pleas Court.
Anthony Pagan, 24, faced multiple felony counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and pandering obscenity involving a minor. On Sept. 3, 2026, Judge David Branstool found him not guilty of all charges.
The case began with a CyberTip received by the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and later reviewed by the Heath Police Department. Investigators said apparent child sexual abuse material was uploaded to a Dropbox account on Aug. 9, 2024. By December 2024, the account was linked to Pagan. On Jan. 30, 2025, investigators executed a search warrant at his Licking County home. He was arrested and later terminated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Feb. 6, 2025. A grand jury later returned an indictment that also sought forfeiture of an iPhone 14 and an iPad Air.
Pagan had been assigned to the Granville post after joining the patrol as a cadet and being appointed as a trooper. The patrol placed him on administrative leave without pay after the charges and later confirmed he was no longer employed. An agency statement at the time of the charges said they did not reflect the values of the organization.
Key facts from court records and official statements
• Pagan worked as an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper at the Granville post in Licking County.
• A CyberTip involved a Dropbox upload dated Aug. 9, 2024. The account was linked to Pagan by December 2024.
• Investigators executed a search warrant on Jan. 30, 2025. He was charged, held on bond, and later indicted on four felony counts.
• The Ohio State Highway Patrol terminated his employment on Feb. 6, 2025.
• The defense said Pagan downloaded a large file containing more than 2,700 pornography images. Four of those images were identified as child pornography. Defense attorney Sam Shamansky said there was no evidence Pagan viewed those four images, while investigators found evidence he viewed other images in the same file.
• After a one-day bench trial, Judge David Branstool found Pagan not guilty of all charges on Sept. 3, 2026.
Ohio law on these offenses generally requires the state to prove the person acted with knowledge of the character of the material. That knowledge element was central to the defense presentation at trial.
What “acquitted” means
An acquittal is a formal finding of not guilty. The prosecution did not prove every element of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt. In a bench trial, the judge sits as the fact-finder instead of a jury.
An acquittal is not the same as a public declaration that no investigation should have occurred. It is a legal conclusion that the evidence presented did not meet the criminal standard of proof. Under the Double Jeopardy Clause, the state generally cannot retry the same person on the same charges after a not-guilty verdict.
Can he get his job back?
Not automatically. The patrol already terminated Pagan in February 2025. An acquittal does not, by itself, restore state employment.
Ohio peace officer certification is governed by state law and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. Certificate revocation and suspension rules focus heavily on convictions. Because Pagan was acquitted, a conviction-based revocation would not apply. That does not require the Highway Patrol to rehire him. Law enforcement agencies retain discretion over hiring and reinstatement. Public trust, agency policy, and any internal findings separate from the criminal verdict can still block a return. Future appointments at other agencies typically require a review of training eligibility, employment history, and whether the officer left in good standing.
Any path back would likely involve a request to the former employer, possible union or civil-service processes, and a separate certification or refresher review if another agency ever considered hiring him. None of that is guaranteed.
Are other legal proceedings likely?
A second criminal trial on these same counts is generally barred. Device-forfeiture claims tied to the criminal indictment would ordinarily fail after an acquittal on those counts, unless a separate civil forfeiture case exists. Public reporting so far has not established a pending civil lawsuit or a remaining criminal case.
Employment-related administrative steps, if any, would be separate from the criminal court file. Record-sealing or expungement in Ohio is limited and often restricted for offenses involving sexual material involving minors, even when a person is acquitted. Arrest and charging records can remain publicly available.
What happens after an acquittal when the allegation is this serious?
A not-guilty verdict ends the criminal case. It does not automatically restore a career, a reputation, or public confidence.
Charges involving child sexual abuse material attract intense attention, especially when the accused is a police officer. Arrest reports, charging documents, and news coverage remain searchable long after a verdict. For someone in uniform, the allegation itself can end a career even when a court later finds the state failed to prove the crime.
That tension is real. The justice system is built to require proof beyond a reasonable doubt before it imposes a criminal conviction and the penalties that follow. Employment, licensing, and community trust operate on different standards. An officer can be legally not guilty and still be unemployable in law enforcement because an agency concludes the risk to public confidence is too high.
The court has spoken on the criminal charges. Questions about reinstatement, future certification, and how the public will treat the record of the case sit outside that verdict. Those questions will be answered, if at all, by the Highway Patrol, the peace officer training system, and any employer that later reviews his file.
