A man has been indicted by a Lorain County grand jury on multiple charges, including rape and grooming, in a case involving a 12-year-old girl in Elyria, according to court records.
Joshua Telford, 35, of Cincinnati, is facing several felony charges in Lorain County Common Pleas Court. The indictment includes two counts of rape, one count of rape with a specification, tampering with evidence, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, grooming, pandering obscenity, and three counts of criminal child enticement.
According to the indictment, the alleged conduct occurred over several months, beginning in April 2025 and continuing into early 2026. Court documents state the case involves a victim who was under the age of 13 at the time of the alleged offenses.
Two of the rape charges stem from alleged incidents in August 2025 and again in November 2025. The indictment also alleges that Telford had a firearm on or about his person during one of the offenses.
Additional charges include tampering with evidence in December 2025 and disseminating matter harmful to a minor over a period spanning September 2025 through January 2026. Three counts of criminal child enticement allege attempts to solicit or lure the victim over multiple timeframes between August and November 2025.
The case originated in Elyria Municipal Court before being bound over to Lorain County Common Pleas Court following the indictment.
Telford was arrested February 19 by law enforcement following an investigation by the Elyria Police Department. At the time, police said the case began after a parent reported concerns that her daughter was involved in a relationship with an adult male. Investigators later determined the suspect had been communicating with the girl since she was 11 and had traveled to Elyria in 2025, where sexual conduct allegedly occurred.
Telford remains held in the Lorain County Jail on a $737,500 cash bond, which has not been posted. Court records show a no-contact order has been issued.
He is scheduled to be arraigned April 2 at 8:45 a.m. in Lorain County Common Pleas Court.
The case remains ongoing.