EASTLAKE, Ohio — The man who is facing charges after allegedly attacking a teen he walked in on molesting a 5-year-old boy said when he saw what was happening, he knew he had to do the right thing.
Richard Adams, 20, was arrested and charged with felonious assault after a fight broke out between him and the 17-year-old, who he saw sexually assaulting a 5-year-old-boy, according to an Eastlake police report.
RELATED: Police: Man facing felonious assault charge for attacking teen he caught molesting 5-year-old boy
Adams said he walked into the living room of the home on East 363rd Street and saw the teen on top of the child with the child’s pants around his ankles.
Adams then yelled for someone to call the police, but made sure the assault was stopped.
“I didn’t just call the cops and let it pursue. I stepped into action and stopped it,” Adams said.
Adams said he couldn’t stop from physically ending the assault because it hit close to home. He said that he had an experience similar to the 5-year-old when he was a child.
News of the incident has made its way across the country and Adams has received a wide range of support, from people calling him a hero to others offering to pay for his legal costs.
Adams believes he is being wrongly charged.
“I don’t feel like I should’ve been arrested in this situation. I feel like if you’re stopping a crime, that you should be able to walk free from helping someone who could not protect themselves in this situation,” Adams said.
A petition in support of Adams has been created that urges police to drop the charges against him.
The teen involved in the incident is being charged with two counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition, according to the Lake County Juvenile Court.
Adams is scheduled to appear in court on April 2, according to Willoughby Municipal Court.
