Cincinnati- A longtime television news reporter accused of sexual offenses involving teenage boys was indicted Monday on additional charges, increasing the maximum potential sentence to 60 years in prison.

The Hamilton County grand jury indictment accuses Stephen A. Hill of 12 charges of having sex with four boys in 2003 and 2004 when they were ages 13 to 15. Hill, 45, had been a mentor to the boys, county Prosecutor Michael Allen said.

Hill has been a reporter since 1989 for WCPO-TV, which reaches 870,000 households in Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. The station has placed him on administrative leave.

He is charged with sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The indictment replaces eight charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, which together were punishable by four to 12 years in prison. The more serious charges carry stiffer penalties because Hill was at least 10 years older than the victims, Allen said.

When he was arrested Feb. 27, Hill tried to destroy potential evidence by dumping videotapes into a bucket filled with what may have been a cleaning solution, Allen said. Investigators are trying to restore some of the tapes.