AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man who posed as a police officer, handcuffed and assaulted more than a dozen children while running a fake "scared-straight" program was sentenced Wednesday afternoon.

Christopher Hendon

Christopher S. Hendon, 26, was sentenced to five years and 11 months in prison by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce on 31 charges related to the fake "scared-straight" program. The charges are related to incidents that took place March 29, 2017 to April 6, 2017 at two Akron schools and the Summit County Juvenile Justice Center, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release.

Hendon pleaded guilty to the charges in January.

Hendon wore tactical gear and carried a gun while running the fake "scared-straight" program, but he is not a certified police officer, prosecutors said.

The investigation began when Hendon tried to bring a handcuffed child into the Summit County Courthouse on April 6, 2017, the Summit County Sheriff's Office said. Investigators later discovered Hendon tried to enter a courthouse with a handcuffed child at least four times.

Hendon once tried to bring a child into the Summit County Jail, and he twice handcuffed children while posing as a police officer at Akron schools, detectives and prosecutors said. Hendon handcuffed, threatened and assaulted several students at the schools, prosecutors said.

Investigators seized weapons, handcuffs, law enforcement equipment, and police insignias when they searched Hendon's home April 24, 2017.

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