By Lynn Hulsey , Staff Writer 
 
 DAYTON — Eric W. Deaton, a Constitution Party candidate for U.S. Senate, was indicted Tuesday, Aug. 31, for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to Greg Flannagan, spokesman for Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck Jr. 
 
 Deaton, 42, of New Lebanon is to be arraigned Sept. 14 in county common pleas court on the third-degree felony count. The indictment alleges that between March 20, 2006, and March 25, 2007, Deaton engaged in sexual conduct with a girl who was between the ages of 13 and 15, Flannagan said. Deaton faces five years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted. 
 
 “I think this is politically motivated,” said Deaton, blaming the indictment on his decision to run for political office. 
 
 “The powers that be don’t like that,” said Deaton, who said he intends to stay in the race. 
 
 Deaton is married with three children and is a Cub Scout leader, according to his website. That could not be confirmed with the Boy Scouts of America. 
 
 Deaton is running against Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Lee Fisher for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio. Also running for the seat are Socialist Party candidate Daniel H. LaBotz, independent Michael Pryce and write-in candidate Arthur T. Sullivan. 
 
 Deaton said he has Tea Party backing. His website lists endorsements from Liberty Candidates, Mansfield Tea Party and Akron Tea Party, along with a national group called Vote Family Values. 
 
 A poster pictured on his deatonforsenate.com website says he supports fiscal responsibility, balanced and centered government, honoring founding principles. The poster also says, “Return moral citizens to office.” 
 
 Deaton said he would have no further comment until a news conference this morning in the Dayton offices of his attorneys, Rion & Rion. ||||| DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A New Lebanon man running for the U.S. Senate seat responded to allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. 
 
 2 News spoke to Eric Deaton inside the offices of Rion and Rion, with his attorney, Jon Paul Rion by his side. 
 
 Deaton maintained that he did nothing wrong, despite charges filed by a Montgomery County grand jury. 
 
 Despite the nature of the charges, Deaton said he planned to stay in the race for the senate seat, being vacated by Senator George Voinovich. 
 
 Deaton was indicted on one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, on Monday. 
 
 
 
 Perry Township police said Deaton had an inappropriate relationship with a 15 year old girl between March 2006 and 2007. 
 
 
 
 Police believed he met the victim while serving as an elder at his church. Police said he would tutored her at times, and invited the teen to his home and paid her to do odd jobs. 
 
 Police said they had hotel receipts and video to prove their case. 
 
 But Deaton's attorney, Jon Paul Rion questioned the timing of indictment. It comes close to election time. Rion also said the hotel surveillance video and receipts would help prove that Deaton was innocent. 
 
 Rion said Deaton had passed a 4-hour long polygraph test. 
 
 
 
 Deaton was a member of the Constitution party. In a press conference on Tuesday morning, he said the accusations against him were lies. Deaton said he looked forward to defending himself in court. He also said he held the constitution dear to his heart, and was glad he had the rights to a due process. 
 
 If found guilty Deaton could face five years in prison, and a fine of $10,000. He is scheduled to appear in court on September 14th. ||||| COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's marriage laws allowing underage teens to marry are too liberal and create potential for exploiting young girls, said an advocate for organization that's called for ending child marriage. 
 
 Ohio requires teen girls to be at least 16 and males to be at least 18 before they can legally marry but allows for younger pregnant girls to wed with the permission of parents and juvenile courts, the Dayton Daily News has reported . 
 
 The newspaper found that more than 4,400 girls age 17 or younger were married in Ohio between 2000 and 2015, including 59 who were 15 or younger. Three were just 14. 
 
 The executive director of a national nonprofit advocating for ending child marriage says Ohio's law creates situations comparable to Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia. 
 
 "Shame on Ohio for having 16th Century laws still on the book," said Fraidy Reiss of Unchained At Last. 
 
 People younger than 18 are allowed to marry in all 50 states, though some states, including Connecticut, New York and Texas, have recently adopted laws increasing the minimum age for marriage. 
 
 Ohio State Rep. Jeff Rezabek, a Republican from Clayton who practices family and juvenile law, said underage girls marrying much older men raises questions about why judges and parents weren't pursuing other remedies in court. While the age of consent in Ohio is 16, an adult could be charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor for having sex with someone between the ages of 13 and 15. They would face rape charges for sex with anyone younger. 
 
 The newspaper cited a 2012 study conducted by William & Mary law professor Vivian Hamilton that said teens lack maturity and skills to sustain a marriage. The study said marriages involving younger teens fail at a rate of 80 percent compared with 30 percent for those who marry after age 24. 
 
 The newspaper's story highlighted a case of a pregnant Ohio 14-year-old who married a 48-year-old man in 2002. They remain married 15 years later and have three children. 
 
 The now retired judge who permitted the marriage between Tessi and Richard Siders in southern Ohio's Gallia County said he "vaguely" recalls the case and acknowledged that prosecutors and children's protective services weren't involved. 
 
 Montgomery County Juvenile Judge Anthony Capizzi said law enforcement should have been alerted when that case came before the court. 
 
 Tessi Siders, now 29, said in an interview conducted by text that she doesn't regret having married at such a young age but probably wouldn't allow her children to do so. And she said Ohio should change its law to mandate that everyone be 18 before they can marry. 
 
 "Yes, some get pregnant before 18 but if the father truly loves her, he wait the years to marry her," she wrote. 
 
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 Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com
– Another day, another political sex scandal—but this one involves a minor. Ohio's Eric W. Deaton, Senate candidate for the conservative Constitution Party, was indicted Tuesday for having alleged sexual contact with a young girl, the Dayton Daily News reports. Deaton, 42, is accused of having unlawful sexual conduct with the girl, who he reportedly met at his church, while she was between the ages of 13 and 15 ... and he's calling the whole mess "politically motivated." He adds that “the powers that be don’t like” his decision to run for office, and says he'll stay in the race despite his Sept. 14 arraignment and the fact that he faces the possibility of five years in prison. According to WDTN Dayton, police say they have hotel surveillance video and receipts that prove their case ... and Deaton's lawyer says those very items (somehow) help prove that his client is innocent. Deaton, a married Cub Scout leader with three kids, says he has Tea Party endorsements.