DAYTON, Ohio — Former Milford City Manager Michael Doss was found guilty on a charge related to attempting to buy sex from a 15-year-old.
The trial against Doss began in April and concluded Wednesday, where he was found guilty on one count of importuning. A spokesperson for the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office said Doss will be sentenced Wednesday, July 2.
The importuning charge stems from an undercover investigation by the Miami Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which alleged Doss tried to buy sex from a person he'd believed was a 15-year-old girl, according to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Doss was first charged in August 2024.
In its opening statement before Montgomery County Judge Steven Dankof, the prosecution said Doss began texting a phone number listed on an ad on a solicitation website in June 2024.
The ad, posted by law enforcement as part of a sting operation, contained a picture of a girl with a listed age of 19 years old and the caption "looking for fun," per court documents.
Soon after Doss reached out, the prosecution said the girl, who was an undercover detective, disclosed her age through text on June 12:
Undercover detective: "just so u kno, im 15 years old but completely discret with everything"
Doss: "Oh"
Doss: "😬"
Undercover detective: "is that ok wit u?"
Doss: "We can chat"
The prosecution said the undercover detective disclosed that the girl was 15 years old at least three times to Doss.
The two planned to meet at a Dayton hotel in July of 2024, according to court documents, but Doss bailed at the last minute because of "traffic." Following the planned hangout, Doss and the undercover agent continued messaging back and forth for a couple of weeks before Doss eventually stopped responding, per documents shared in court.
Documents obtained through a public records request from 2024 show Doss submitted his resignation letter on August 8. In that letter, Doss wrote that he appreciated the opportunity to serve Milford for the past eight years. According to Doss' personnel records with the city, he was appointed to the role on May 17, 2016.
According to Yost's office, Doss resigned from his position after he was confronted about the allegations against him.
