Okonski waives right to preliminary hearing

TIFFIN—Tiffin man Mick J. Okonski waived his right to a preliminary hearing at what was scheduled to be a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon at the Seneca County Common Please Court. In a Jan. 23 press release from the Tiffin Police Department, Okonski was arrested on a second-degree felony for pandering obscenity involving a minor, following the execution of a search warrant at a residence in the 700 block of S. Washington St. in Tiffin earlier that morning. The press release also said a prior investigation led by Det. Eric England and in collaboration with the METRICH Task Force, Ohio Investigative Unit and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office uncovered child sexual exploitation material through an online file-sharing program called BitTorrent. Also at the hearing, Okonski's attorney Gina Grandillo asked to readdress the bond on the basis that Okonski is gainfully self-employed and could be working while the court continues to go through and collect evidence. Presiding Judge Damon Alt denied the motion due to a previous conviction for gross sexual imposition. Okonski will continue to be held at the Seneca County Jail while awaiting further hearings.