Chillicothe man found guilty on two of four rape charges athensnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from athensnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A Chillicothe man was found guilty on Friday to two of four rape counts in Athens County Common Pleas Court.
Grant Sims, 25, of Chillicothe and formerly of Athens, was found guilty after four days of trial and four hours of jury deliberation, according to a press release from the Athens County Prosecuting Attorney s office.
Sims was indicted in February 2020 on four counts of rape, each first-degree felonies, as well as fifth-degree felony theft and fourth-degree felony identity fraud. Sims previously pleaded guilty to the latter two charges. He now faces up to 28 years in prison.
The four rape charges involved three college-aged women Sims encountered in separate incidents in Athens between fall 2018 and fall 2019.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday the appointment of Zachary L. Saunders to the Athens County Court of Common Pleas, Probate and Juvenile Division.
Saunders, of The Plains, will assume office on Dec. 17, and will be replacing Judge Kenneth Ryan, who resigned from the position on Nov. 13, as a result of the November election in which Saunders won the Judgeâs seat. Following Ryanâs resignation, Judge George McCarthy was assigned by the Ohio Supreme Court as the presiding and administrative judge of the Juvenile/Probate Court until DeWine could appoint Saunders.
âIâm excited. Obviously Iâm nervous, but I canât tell you how excited I am for the future and to show Athens County voters what I said I was going to do,â Saunders said of the appointment.