Ohio appeals court overturns enticement conviction of man accused of luring 13-year-old girl online

AKRON, Ohio - A state appeals court has thrown out the conviction of a man accused of trying to entice a 13-year-old girl to be his Facebook friend.

The Akron Beacon Journal (http://bit.ly/136PUAv ) reports that the 9th District Court of Appeals reversed the misdemeanor conviction of John David Goode Jr. Wednesday.

As other courts have done previously, the appellate panel ruled that Ohio's child enticement law is overly broad and unconstitutional.

Goode was accused of trying to speak to the girl while she was walking home from the library where he worked in 2011.

The 37-year-old Goode allegedly asked her name so they could be "secret friends" on Facebook.

Goode's attorney argued that he was acquainted with the girl from his work at the library and did not intend to harm her.