10 to life in child rape case

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A Felicity man has been sentenced to at least 10 years in prison after pleading no contest to a charge of the rape of a juvenile.

David Forbes, 34, was charged in a March indictment with first-degree felony rape and third-degree felony gross sexual imposition. On Monday he pled no contest to the rape charge while the state dismissed the gross sexual imposition charge.

With a no contest plea, a defendant does not admit guilt, but does not deny the factual allegations. The no contest plea also preserves the defendant’s rights to appeal.

According to Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins in a statement of facts, about a year ago the defendant entered the 11-year-old victim’s room and committed the rape offense. She said there was DNA evidence recovered from a blanket from the victim’s bed that provided an “almost complete profile,” which Collins said was something that was “almost unheard of.”

Judge Rocky Coss found Forbes to be guilty and sentenced the defendant to a minimum 10 years in prison and a maximum of up to life in prison. Any parole eligibility will be decided by the parole authority, Coss said.

If Forbes is at any point paroled, he will be required to register as a Tier III sexual offender, which means he will have to register every 90 days for the rest of his life.

Forbes’ sentence comes less than two weeks after 45-year-old Vernon Bartsal Ellison Jr. was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape. The jury further found that the victim was less than 10 years old when the offenses occurred, meaning Ellison will be sentenced to life in prison. Whether or not there should be the possibility of parole was a matter of some confusion at the time of Ellison’s verdict. Records indicate he is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday.

In other hearings, Amy L. Allen, aka Amy Kiser, 38, Peebles, admitted to probation violations that included consuming opiates, failing to pay court costs and restitution, and a conviction in Adams County for heroin trafficking.

According to court records, Allen pled guilty in 2011 to two counts of receiving stolen property and one count of breaking and entering. She has been in the Highland County courtroom two previous times for violations on the case since she was initially sentenced to community control and the STAR residential treatment facility.

On Monday, she was sentenced to 10 months in prison on each of the three charges. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively.

Daniel L. Hollon, 24, Hillsboro, also admitted to violating his supervision, and was continued on community control and ordered to complete treatment. His violations included failing to report multiple times, a municipal court conviction, several times consuming illicit drugs, and making his whereabouts unknown.

About a year ago he was sentenced to community control for fourth-degree felony heroin trafficking in the vicinity of a juvenile.

Tara Ralph, 43, Greenfield, pled guilty to third-degree felony illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs. She is to be sentenced in August.

John Allen Croy, 47, Hillsboro, pled guilty to fifth-degree felony heroin possession and is scheduled to be sentenced in July.

Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.

David Forbes, right, is pictured during a hearing in Highland County Common Pleas Court on Monday with attorney J.D. Wagoner.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2016/06/web1_forbes.jpgDavid Forbes, right, is pictured during a hearing in Highland County Common Pleas Court on Monday with attorney J.D. Wagoner.
Two defendants plead guilty to charges

By Angela Shepherd

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