CINCINNATI — A New York man who police say had "previous interactions" with a missing Colerain Township teen was indicted on federal sexual exploitation charges Thursday.
Kyle Lawrence, 43, is charged with transportation with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and transportation of child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
Court documents allege Lawrence was reported to the FBI in May 2024 after he was confronted by a "citizen vigilante group" while in Canada. The docs say Lawrence was allegedly traveling to Canada to "have sexual contact with a purported 15-year-old girl."
Lawrence was arrested in February after an investigation into the disappearance of a Colerain Township teenager showed he had been involved with a minor.
The Colerain Township Police Department (CTPD) confirmed Lawrence had "previous interactions" with 16-year-old Fields. He is not charged in connection with her disappearance.
The indictment does not name Fields, but states Lawrence knowingly transported a minor, referred to as "M.F.," from Ohio to Kentucky with the intent to engage in sexual activity.
Court documents allege Lawrence said he stayed at Cincinnati-area hotels with the minor on two separate occasions — Jan. 19 and Jan. 31. Video surveillance shows the minor entered a Jeep Grand Cherokee with New York license plates, later confirmed to have been rented by Lawrence.
Surveillance cameras also showed the two entering a hotel on Jan. 31, documents say, and a receipt for the room showed it was rented by Lawrence. According to court docs, Lawrence said he used location services on Snapchat to locate the minor when he picked her up.
The FBI's investigation found two cyber tip reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding Lawrence's Snapchat account and child exploitation activity, documents say.
FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at Lawrence's home on Feb. 26 and found child sexual abuse and material on his electronic devices, according to court documents.
The indictment says Lawrence transported child pornography from New York to Ohio, and then to Kentucky.
Lawrence was given an order of detention pending trial in court Tuesday. He is being held in the Butler County Jail, and an arraignment has been set for Friday afternoon.
The investigation into Fields' disappearance remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact CTPD.
