Jonah A. Locke was arraigned last week on charges related to a series of sexual assaults in Northern Ohio last spring. Several of these assaults occurred in Oberlin, and several students were victims.
A pretrial hearing on Locke's case was also held last Friday.
Locke pled not guilty to charges of sexual imposition, felonious sexual penetration, abduction, kidnapping, five sexual imposition charges and two public indecency charges. These charges are only the charges in Lorain County. Locke is also facing similar charges in Cuyahoga County, according to Greg White, Lorain County Prosecutor. The arraignment was held on Sept. 25.
White said that the felonious sexual penetration charge is similar to rape in its possible punishment and magnitude.
Two days after the arraignment, a pretrial hearing was held and another pretrail hearing was scheduled for Oct. 25. White said that "nothing really" happened at the pretrial hearing last week.
Pretrial hearings are held so the prosecution and defense attorneys can exchange information, address any pretrial issues and set a trial date. White said that he hopes a trial date will be set at the next hearing.
White said that the Locke case is "obviously a priority," but the time it takes for cases to go to trial is "an unfortunate fact about the criminal justice system."
White also said that since Locke is in jail, and no bond has been set, he is of no threat to the community.
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 5; October 4, 1996
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