LISBON — Dr. Robert R. Zewe Jr., 50, of Ridgedale Drive in Erie, Pa., was arraigned Tuesday in Columbiana County Municipal Court on felony compelling prostitution and possessing criminal tools and misdemeanor engaging in prostitution.

No plea was required on the felonies, and he pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor engaging in prostitution.

The charges resulted from undercover agents with the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force arresting him Friday in the Youngstown area after Zewe allegedly agreed to pay for sex with a fictitious underage girl and her mother.

Zewe’s arrest and charges were revealed in a Monday press release from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene. The East Palestine Police Department filed the charges against Zewe, according to court records.

The task force is organized under Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and led by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.

Zewe was arrested Friday, according to the news release and apparently remained in the Columbiana County jail Saturday, when an order was issued by the court to the Columbiana County jail to release Zewe after he posted $25,000 bond. The Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office released Zewe’s jail mug shot Tuesday.

Zewe’s charges were filed with the court Saturday, according to court records. Zewe returns to the same court 1 p.m. Nov. 3 for a preliminary hearing on the two felonies and a pretrial on the misdemeanor. The case will be handled by Judge Kelly Linger.

An online biography states that Zewe is a doctor of osteopathy and joined the medical staff at Penn Highlands Healthcare in northwestern Pennsylvania around February 2024. It states that he had previously practiced in various areas, including the Lancaster and Sidney, Ohio, areas, New York state and Erie.

The Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force includes representatives from the Ohio Investigative Unit, East Palestine Police Department, Salem Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Portage County Sheriff’s Office, BCI, Youngstown Police Department, Austintown Police Department, Beaver Township Police Department, Columbiana County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.