A Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been released from custody on a GPS monitor after being arrested on 32 counts of rape Tuesday morning in Ross County.
Deputy Charles R. Davis, 50, a 21-year veteran of the force, has been on administrative leave since the department learned of the investigation in September 2023, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. Davis faces 58 criminal counts, including the rape charges and 26 counts of gross sexual imposition.
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Gross sexual imposition is a fourth-degree felony in Ohio in which the offender has sexual contact with another against the victim’s will. The Ohio Revised Code identifies sexual conduct as vaginal or anal intercourse or oral sex. Sexual contact is identified as “any touching of an erogenous zone of another,” including the thigh, bottom, genitals or a female’s breasts for sexual gratification.
The sheriff’s office said it will not comment on the criminal case and that an internal investigation is underway.
The offenses occurred between March 2020 and October 2022, and many involved a victim under 13, according to court records. Documents related to the investigation don’t say whether he committed the offenses while working.
The indictment contains 16 charges accusing Davis of engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 13 as well as 16 counts of engaging in sexual conduct by force or threat of force. The indictment also includes 12 allegations of engaging in sexual contact with a child under the age of 13 and 12 allegations of engaging in sexual contact by force or the threat of force.
The court records available in the case do not indicate whether the allegations involve multiple victims. Court records say Davis’s current address is in Pickaway County, but according to a records check performed by The Dispatch, Davis has previously lived in Ross County.
Columbus defense attorney Sam Shamansky confirmed Wednesday his office is representing Davis. He said Davis had his first hearing Wednesday afternoon in Ross County Common Pleas Court.
During that hearing, Shamansky said prosecutors had asked Davis be held on a $500,000 bond, but a judge determined Davis should be released on his own recognizance without paying any money. As a condition of his release, Davis will be required to wear a GPS monitor, Shamansky said.
“He’s known about these false allegations for a year or close to it,” Shamansky said. “He intends to fight this to the death in the courtroom.”
Shamansky said he was not aware of how many victims are involved in the allegations or what the specific allegations are against Davis beyond the generic language used in the indictment.
The Dispatch has reached out to the Ross County Prosecutor’s office for additional information.
Davis is next scheduled to appear in court Aug. 26 for a preliminary hearing in Ross County.