NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WOIO) – The North Olmsted Police Department arrested a man last month after receiving reports for a possible sexual predator. Officers from the department were called to the North Olmsted Walmart located at 24801 Brookpark Rd. by members who work for an online group called Predator Poachers that lures and catches online predators. According to the members, they reported that a man, identified as Arno Venter, 28, a Walmart employee, was possibly distributing online child pornography. North Olmsted Walmart employee indicted on child pornography charges(Source: North Olmstead Police Department)They then told police that their group followed Venter on TikTok and messaged him posing as a 13-year-old boy.Venter allegedly responded in a sexual manner with texts and photos, police reports say. The members and their team confronted Venter while he was working at Walmart, and allegedly he confessed to them of being in possession of child pornography on his phone. According to the incident report obtained by 19 News, Venter admitted to the officers to possessing sexually explicit images and videos of children on his phone and confessed to distributing the material online.Venter also told officers he engaged in the behavior due to low self-esteem, explaining that providing material to online groups made him feel needed and validated. According to court records, he was indicted on the following:Five counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minorFive counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented materialOne count of possessing criminal tools with a forfeiture specification for his cell phone
At this time, there is a search warrant for all the images/videos located in his phone. We are working with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) to extract the phone. We are not aware of any evidence indicating he created any of it. No children have been identified as of today. The investigation is still on going.
Venter disputed the charges and will is expected back in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday, at 9 a.m.Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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