A detective testified for hours Tuesday, Sept. 29, in the Warren County child sex abuse bench trial of Tony McCollister, a former reality TV star.

McCollister, 43, pleaded guilty Monday, Sept. 28 to 17 counts, including 13 involving sexually explicit material of a minor and four involving sexual conduct with an animal. His bench trial on remaining charges, including allegations of rape of a child, is now before Judge Robert Peeler. The case was investigated by the Warren County Sheriff's Office, which patrols Deerfield Township, as first reported by WCPO.

The detective told the court that McCollister was cooperative during interviews. McCollister shared details of alleged abuse he said took place at the hands of his former partner, Erica Grove, at McCollister's request. Prosecutors also presented thousands of text messages between the pair, graphic exchanges that have been central to both trials.

McCollister's defense attorney pushed back during cross-examination, arguing the messages amounted to role-play rather than evidence of actual abuse. The attorney pressed the detective to agree that having fantasies is not a crime. The detective agreed.

That argument mirrors the one Grove's defense team made during her bench trial in August. In that case, the defense cited a 2024 message from McCollister to Grove: "Lying is required. I want you to make up fake things you've done," according to WLWT.

McCollister's defense also raised his history of mental illness, arguing it could have led him to falsely confess during detective interviews. That argument did not surface during Grove's trial.

During Grove's proceedings, Judge Peeler expressed skepticism about the prosecution's reliance on text messages alone. "I am extremely skeptical that the state has proven the truth of the text messages," Peeler said during Grove's trial in August, according to WLWT.

Peeler went on to acquit Grove on rape charges Sept. 24, convicting her on counts of gross sexual imposition and child endangerment. He found the evidence outside of text messages insufficient to prove the rape allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.

That outcome looms over McCollister's trial. He faces the same judge, the same type of text-message evidence and a defense team making the same core argument: the messages were fantasy, not fact.

The investigation began after Google submitted a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about explicit material connected to McCollister's IP address, according to Fox 19. McCollister was arrested in December 2025. Grove was arrested shortly after. Both were held on $250,000 bond.

McCollister appeared on the A&E series "Neighbors with Benefits" in 2015, a show about swinger couples in Warren County that was pulled after two episodes.

Grove's sentencing is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10. Residents with information about child abuse can contact the Warren County Children Services hotline at 513-695-1546 or the national Childhelp hotline at 1-800-422-4453.