Waynesville Landlord Won't Face Charges In Spanking Incident

WAYNESVILLE, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio landlord accused of whipping an adult tenant with a belt on his bare buttocks for falling behind on his rent won't face charges if he stays away from the alleged victim.

Police in the southwest Ohio village of Waynesville had charged 53-year-old Ron Kronenberger with assault after the Jan. 22 encounter in his office.

The Associated Press reports a magistrate granted pretrial diversion on Thursday to the well-known local businessman. That means the charges will be dropped in August if has no contact with the 29-year-old accuser and stays out of trouble until then.

A police report  said the accuser told officers he submitted to the whipping because "he was scared and just wanted to get it over with."

Kronenberger and his attorney declined to comment.

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