A hearing has been set for a decision in the case against Erica Grove, who faces allegations of sexual abuse involving a 5-year-old girl and graphic text messages.
Judge Robert Peeler filed an announcement of decision hearing set for Sept. 23. The child rapist opted for a bench trial in the case.
The female pedophile faces a dozen charges, including rape, gross sexual imposition, corrupting another with drugs, and child endangering.
Prosecutors and the defense presented opposing interpretations of thousands of graphic text messages exchanged between Grove and her boyfriend, Tony McCollister. McCollister has yet to go on trial.
“I think that part of the hang-up in this case is that the behavior described in the texts is so depraved, so morally twisted, and so gut-wrenching that nobody wants to believe that they are real,” said Julie Kraft, assistant prosecutor for Warren County.
Prosecutors argued the messages documented the grooming and sexual abuse of a child. The defense countered, claiming the texts were fantasies rather than reality, citing a 2024 message from McCollister to Grove that read, “Lying is required. I want you to make up fake things you’ve done.”
Prosecutors accused the defense of cherry-picking messages and urged the judge to focus on what is known to be real, including texts discussing sex acts involving dogs—conduct to which Grove has already pleaded guilty.
“They were willing to cross the line from fantasy into reality, and they did,” Kraft said.
The state also referenced a photo of Grove naked and covered in child-like drawings, which was sent in a graphic thread discussing drugging the child and drawing on each other during a bath.
The defense argued that investigators found no photos of Grove sexually abusing the child.
“This man had multiple devices. He tape-recorded and videotaped everything,” said Charlie Rittgers, Grove’s defense attorney. “If these things were actually happening, there would be photographs and pictures of them.”
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