Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn will meet with Athens Police officials Monday to decide whether the state of Ohio will press charges following the investigation of the alleged Court Street rape that was filmed and posted to Instagram.
The decision will be directly tied to the evidence at hand, which Blackburn will discuss with the department at the meeting, officials said.
“(We’re looking at) whether there is sufficient evidence to find (the man) guilty beyond reasonable doubt,” Blackburn said. “Obviously, if it does, you’ll see charges. If it doesn’t, you won’t.”
Blackburn said any decision to press charges after the meeting will not be immediately released to the public.
The state can press charges even if the woman who filed the initial complaint does not, adding that a rape charge does not rely on the victim being part of the case, Blackburn said.
Rape — the charge listed on the initial police report released by APD on Tuesday — is a first-degree felony and carries a jail sentence of three to 11 years, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle couldn’t be reached for comment by press time.
APD, like many other law enforcement agencies, typically does not comment on ongoing investigations, but Pyle has previously stated that consent is a main factor in the investigation.
as299810@ohio.edu
@akarl_smith
