Authorities in Ohio are coming under fire for criminally charging a man who stopped a sexual assault of a child, WEWS-TV reports.
On Thursday, police in Eastlake, Ohio, arrested 20-year-old Richard Adams after he starting fighting a 17-year-old, whom Adams allegedly saw sexually assaulting a 5-year-old boy.
Adams was subsequently charged with felonious assault.
According to a police report obtained by WEWS-TV, Adams told investigators that when he walked into the living room of a house, he saw the teen on top of the boy, whose pants were located around his ankles.
Adams reportedly yelled that someone should call police, but he also physically intervened to stop the sexual assault.
“I didn’t just call the cops and let it pursue,” Adams told the television station. “I stepped into action and stopped it.”
Adams said as a child he experienced something similar to what happened to the 5-year-old, and he felt he had to physically stop the act.
News of the charges against Adams has made national headlines, and Adams has received well-wishes from supporters and offers to pay for his legal expenses.
Adams says he should not have been arrested and charged.
“I don’t feel like I should’ve been arrested in this situation,” Adams said in an interview with the news station. “I feel like if you’re stopping a crime, that you should be able to walk free from helping someone who could not protect themselves in this situation.”
A petition has been started urging that the charges be dropped against Adams, who has a court appearance scheduled for April 2.
As for the teen, authorities say he has been charged with rape.
Eastlake, Ohio, is about 19 miles northeast of Cleveland along Lake Erie.
[Feature image: Richard Adams/Eastlake Police Department]
