Ohio man who stopped 17-year-old from raping five-year-old boy found dead
An Ohio man who was facing felony assault charges for allegedly attacking a teenager he caught molesting a young boy has died.
20-year-old Richard Adams hit national headlines this past March when he was arrested by officers from the Eastlake Police Department after they responded to a residence on E. 363rd Street at 8:15 pm on Thursday, March 21, on reports of an assault.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) reported previously that he was arrested and charged with felonious assault after attacking a 17-year-old juvenile who he claimed he caught molesting a five-year-old boy. It angered many members of the community to a point that the police department had to put out a statement addressing the nature of his charges.
They said they had received "numerous emails, phone calls and communications in which people have expressed their emotions and frustrations" and that while they understood "the interest, passion, and concerns with this type of case," it would still be "processed by the court and will continue to go through the system."
"Most of the people within our police departments, courts, and the entire justice system have families of their own and the men and women are diligently working to ensure that everything is done correctly so that justice is served," the statement read.
A GoFundMe which was subsequently set up by Adams' uncle, Jeff Cook, to raise money to cover his legal expenses, brought in donations from all over the country and quickly crossed over $40,000 of a $50,000 goal.
"It’s a very sad situation for everyone involved. Ricky walked into a horrifying situation and just blacked out as things from his past childhood immediately started haunting him," Cook said at the time. "I don’t believe he should be charged. He was stopping the progress of a felony being committed on an innocent 5-year-old child."
Adams, who had no prior record and was set to be a father, posted bond and was due in court when his uncle confirmed the sad news that he had passed away. Cook wrote on a new GoFundMe page that Adams was found unresponsive his bed at around 11:30 pm on April 22 when his girlfriend went to lay in bed with him.
"As many of you know Ricky made headlines across the united states for saving a 5yr old from being molested," he posted. "Please help with what you can so we can bury this hero the right way. He was under so much stress with the situation and so depressed."
The 17-year-old who Adams attacked has been charged with rape and is awaiting trial.