Published: February 08, 2010 11:28 pm      

Man charged with enticing a teen at school fundraiser

A man who authorities describe as “transient” was arrested Saturday morning and accused of committing a child sexual offense at a school fundraiser.

Ronald Eugene Fair, 48, does not have a known address, said a Whitfield County Jail spokeswoman. He was charged by the Dalton Police Department with enticing a child for indecent purposes after he walked into a breakfast fundraiser at the Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar at 1322 W. Walnut Ave. The incident occurred between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m., said police spokesman Bruce Frazier.

“The school was doing a fundraiser and (Fair) walked in and began hitting on a 14-year-old girl,” Frazier said. “He was talking in a sexual way to her and asked her to come out to his car, and evidently he didn’t even have a car. He asked one of the adults if the girl was their daughter, and then the girl’s mom called police.”

When officers arrived, Fair told them he was just trying to get something to eat, Frazier said. He had no identification and was carrying a grocery bag with items inside, and officers described him as being transient.

Fair had a Magistrate Court “first appearance” at the jail Saturday afternoon and was denied bond by Judge Sidney Baxter, who said on Monday Fair is expected to appear in Superior Court for a bond hearing today.

“It’s my understanding he’s from here,” Baxter said. “He has a general delivery address. Enticing means they’re usually supposed to be giving them something (to do something else). I don’t know if they’ll be able to make that stick, but I bound him over.”