A Celina man received prison time for a multitude of charges, including possessing child pornography and creating "animal crush" videos. 27-year-old Lucas Vanwoert was sentenced to 97 months, or more than 8 years, in prison by a U.S. district judge and also received 15 years of supervised release. He must also register as a sex offender and cannot own a pet in the future.

The wife of a Celina man facing federal charges for child pornography and creating animal crush videos is facing charges of her own for animal abuse.  According to the Mercer County Jail, 32-year-old Heather Vanwoert was indicted on a total of 12 counts on the charges of prohibition concerning companion animals and cruelty to animals.  She is currently in the jail awaiting her initial appearance in Mercer County Common Pleas Court.

25-year-old Lucas Vanwoert was indicted by a federal grand jury for possession and transportation of child pornography, transportation of obscene materials, and creating an animal crush video.  An animal crush video depicts an animal being intentionally crushed, burned, or otherwise subjected to bodily injury.  On September 26th, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Vanwoert's residence in Celina and seized several electronic devices that were later found to contain videos of child pornography, which involved young children, as well as animal crush videos. His case is being handled in the Northern Ohio Federal Court. 

25-year-old Lucas VanWoert has been arrested on several charges involving the heinous abuse of several dogs. VanWoert lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until several months ago, when he moved to rural Mercer County. Homeland Security executed a search warrant on September 27, 2022, at VanWoert's home after an investigation in Michigan ended in a criminal complaint that he is believed to have created "animal crushing" videos for purposes of distribution in November of 2020.