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The former CEO at Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents now faces federal charges of child pornography and coercion.
According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Randall J. MacKendrick, 59, of St. Clairsville, made an initial appearance in federal court in Ohio after being arrested by federal law enforcement Saturday.
He is charged with possessing child pornography, a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, which carries a potential penalty of at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
MacKendrick was arrested in August on local charges after allegedly attempting to meet up with who he believed was a teenage girl. One month later, while out on bond, MacKendrick was re-arrested for allegedly being in contact with a minor girl who was a former Fox Run patient. In October, the FBI learned MacKendrick is a suspect in a May kidnapping and rape of a 14-year-old girl in Perry County.
According to the federal charging documents, which were unsealed Monday, in June 2026, MacKendrick allegedly began communicating online with a North Ridgeville police officer acting undercover and posing as a 14-year-old female. MacKendrick allegedly communicated with who he believed was a teenage girl until August 2026, sending the undercover officer sexually explicit messages, offering to send gifts and requesting to meet in person.
It is alleged that MacKendrick traveled to central Ohio in July 2026 attempting to meet up with the fictitious teenager at Polaris Fashion Place, Tanger Outlets and a Holiday Inn.
In August, MacKendrick allegedly traveled to South Central Park in Lorain County to meet up with the purported teenager. MacKendrick was arrested on local charges after departing the park. In his vehicle, law enforcement found multiple sex toys, several condoms and three cell phones.
Also in August, Belmont County Sheriff's Office detectives searched MacKendrick's office and residence. During their forensic analysis of MacKendrick's digital devices, deputies allegedly discovered images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
MacKendrick was released on bond in his local case but was re-arrested in September, when law enforcement officers learned MacKendrick was allegedly in contact with a former patient of Fox Run who is 17 years old. MacKendrick's bond was increased and he was released again.
In October, FBI agents learned MacKendrick is a suspect in a Perry County case involving the kidnapping and rape of a 14-year-old. MacKendrick's DNA matches DNA recovered from the victim. That investigation is still ongoing.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; the North Ridgeville Police Department; and Belmont County Sheriff James G. Zusack announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Tyler J. Aagard are representing the United States in this case.
A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney's Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.