Ohio man sentenced to 42 years in human trafficking case

LIMA, Ohio (WCMH) — A Bluffton man has been sentenced to nearly 50 years in prison for his role in human trafficking a minor. 

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost states that Grant Rose, 58, and Susan Walendzik, 43, controlled the minor after getting her addicted to drugs, then fueling that addiction.  

A police investigation found the couple had trafficked the girl between July 2018 until December 2020.  

“This couple sowed the seeds of degradation: addiction, violence and sexual abuse – and will now reap the grim reality of decades behind bars,” Yost said. “My hope is that these sentences empower the once-victim, to recognize she’s a survivor so she can reclaim her true identity.”    

Rose was found guilty, Friday, in an Allen County Common Pleas court on 15 felony charges including one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 13 counts of trafficking in persons, and one count of promoting prostitution. He was sentenced to 42 years in prison.  

Walendzik pleaded guilty Feb. 1 to two felony counts of trafficking in persons and will serve a mandatory sentence of 18 years in prison and, after her release, be required to register as a Tier 2 sex offender for 25 years, per the plea agreement.