Former Buckeye Central bus driver facing new pandering obscenity charges

A former Buckeye Central School District bus driver was denied his motion to have his latest case dismissed in Crawford County Common Pleas Court.

Chet A. Cobb, 45, is incarcerated, serving a five-year sentence after being convicted of three counts of pandering sexually-oriented materials involving a minor in 2023.

The former Galion man now faces three additional charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor, each second-degree felonies, and entered a not guilty plea to the charges during ad arraignment Feb. 28.

Cobb and his attorney, Edwin Bibler, maintain that per a plea agreement with prosecutors, Cobb could not be tried on any additional charges stemming from the initial child pornography investigation.

According to Crawford County Prosecutor Matthew Crall, Cobb pleaded to three counts of pandering sexually oriented materials involving a juvenile on July 31, 2023, and received three sentences of 18 months for a total sentence of 54 months.

Crall said the plea agreement did state that, “in exchange for his change, the state agrees that it will not prosecute any possession of child pornography charges from this investigation against the defendant.”

"The new charges, while still found under the pandering sexually oriented materials code section, fall under a different sub-section dealing with the creation of child pornography, which is a second-degree felony that is punishable by up to eight years in prison as opposed to 18 months for possession,” Crall said. “The information was not forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office until after the plea had been entered in the first case. In the plea discussions, the state made it clear that any cases involving additional victims would and could still be brought.”

Chet Cobb’s father, Mark Cobb, was convicted of two counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, both fourth-degree felonies, in December. He is serving a 30-month prison sentence.

Chandler Cobb, 22, also of Galion and the son of Chet Cobb and grandson of Mark Cobb, is facing two counts of rape, both first-degree felonies and is being held on a $1 million bond. He has waived his right to a speedy trial and is being represented by local attorney Terry Hitchman.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Former school bus driver faces new pandering obscenity charges