Rape trial ends with plea change
By KATHIE DICKERSON
Staff Writer
COSHOCTON - A bench trial ended abruptly in Coshocton County Common Pleas Court Thursday morning when the defendant changed his plea.
Christin J. Eckelberry, 25, currently of the Justice Center, formerly of 4086 Gerrard Drive, Obetz, changed his not guilty plea to no contest on two counts of rape after about 45 minutes of steadfast testimony by the now 19-year-old victim.
Eckelberry was indicted in November 2006, on two counts of rape, both first-degree felonies, which occurred in 1999 and 2000, when the victim was under the age of 13. The victim said in court she decided to step forward in 2005 when she learned Eckelberry may have started a similar pattern of behavior with another young girl. The victim, who lives in another county, testified the sexual assaults occurred when she was here for family reunions and extended get-togethers. The first time it happened she was 7 years old, she testified. The incidents continued until the year she turned 13, which would have made Eckelberry an adult.
Sexual intercourse did not occur, but because of the victim's age at the time, rape charges were brought in the indictment.
"I did not tell him to stop. I was afraid of what would happen, afraid he might get more physical," she said from the witness stand. "He had told me my family would abandon me if they knew what happened."
By the time she was 12, she'd learned enough through sex education at school and through talks with her parents to realize what was happening was wrong, the victim said.
That summer she told Eckelberry she didn't want to do it anymore, and he stopped.
"I had learned what rape was and about child molestation, and had the courage to stand up to it," she said.
When the victim decided to step up and tell people about the incidents, she also talked with a detective in another county where she lived. That county transferred the complaint to Coshocton County where the incidents took place.
When both Prosecuting Attorney Bob Batchelor and Public Defender Jeffrey Mullen had finished questioning the victim around 10 a.m., Judge Richard Evans called a recess. During the 30-minute break, Eckelberry agreed to change his plea to no contest.
Evans found him guilty and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered as well as an evaluation by a professional to determine Eckelberry's sexual offender status.
He could receive three to 10 years in prison on each count, Evans said, and may be fined up to $20,000.
Evans ordered Eckelberry held without bond at the Justice Center.
kdickerson@nncogannett.com
295-3442
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