A doctor traded vape pens to a 16-year-old for sex, then walked free before his trial

Dr. Francis J. Kearse III, a 43-year-old physician, was accused of meeting a 16-year-old girl in Cincinnati and giving her two vape pens and some cash for sexual activity. That specific allegation was part of major felony charges for trafficking and compelling prostitution. Despite prosecutors and the judge wanting him locked up, Kearse was released on a cashless bond after his March 11 arrest. He was out with conditions, like staying off social media. Then, just four days before he was due in an Ohio court, he was found dead in what authorities ruled a self-inflicted death. The judge dismissed the case, stating the defendant had escaped the legal process. Investigators say other lines of inquiry were active and are now disrupted, leaving a haunting question about whether more victims exist. The allegations against a trusted doctor will now never see a courtroom. Our deepest sympathies to all affected by this tragedy.