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Attorney General Mike DeWine
DeWine
Announces Indictment of Ohio Minister on Rape Charges
(JACKSON, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that
a Jackson County Grand Jury has indicted an Ohio minister on 15 felony
charges related to the sexual assaults of two juveniles and an adult.
Dennis Wright, 67, of Oak Hill, is charged with seven counts of rape,
two counts of sexual battery, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct
with a minor, three counts of gross sexual imposition, and one count of
illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.
Wright most recently worked as a minister to a small congregation on
State Route 93 outside of Oak Hill where two of the victims, a juvenile
and an adult, were parishioners. Wright is accused of assaulting
the juvenile on multiple occasions between 2012 and 2015 and assaulting
the adult, whose ability to resist or consent was substantially
impaired, on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2010.
The investigation, which was conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff's
Office and the Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation
(BCI), also uncovered a third victim who was 10 years old when Wright
allegedly attacked the child between 1989 and 1990.
"This defendant used his position of authority to target vulnerable
victims who placed their trust in him," said Attorney General
DeWine. "The investigation has also led us to believe that there
could be even more victims, and I urge anyone with additional
information to come forward."
Jackson County deputies and BCI agents took Wright into custody this
afternoon.
"Today's arrest is the result of the collaborative efforts of local and
state authorities," said Jackson County Sheriff Tedd Frazier. "We take
these allegations very seriously, and those who prey on innocent
residents of Jackson County will be held accountable."
The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General's Special
Prosecutions Section working as part of Attorney General DeWine's
Crimes Against Children Initiative. Eight of the charges filed
against Wright include a sexually violent predator specification, which
carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Anyone with additional information should contact BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO
(855-224-6446) or the Jackson County Sheriff's Office at 740-286-6464.
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