Fort Recovery man faces 51 counts in Mercer County superseding indictment

CELINA — A Fort Recovery man originally charged in February in a Mercer County drug case is now facing dozens of additional felony charges after a superseding indictment was filed in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

Court records show Robert McGough was first charged on Feb. 23 in case 26-CRM-018 with one count of possession of cocaine, a fifth degree felony, and one count of possessing drug abuse instruments, a second degree misdemeanor. The complaint said those charges stemmed from a Feb. 20 search of his Fort Recovery residence.

According to the affidavit filed with that complaint, Coldwater Police had been investigating individuals in Mercer County who were allegedly downloading and sharing child sexual abuse material using peer to peer networks. Investigators said that when a search warrant was executed at McGough’s residence, officers found syringes, plastic baggies and white powder that field tested positive for cocaine. The affidavit also said numerous electronic devices were seized and a preliminary search of one device allegedly uncovered dozens of files containing child sexual abuse material.

A superseding indictment filed April 16 kept the original cocaine possession and drug abuse instruments charges and added 49 more counts. Those include 46 counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person and three counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity oriented material or performance. All of the added counts are listed as second degree felonies.

The superseding indictment brings the total number of counts in the case to 51. As with all criminal cases, the charges are allegations, and the case remains pending in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.