Grand jury clears man of attempted rape allegations

 

An alleged domestic violence case involving an Ironton City Councilman just cleared of unrelated criminal accusations has been turned over to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, according to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office.

An incident report from the Ironton Police Department was expected to be hand-delivered Tuesday to the attorney general’s office representatives who were already in Ironton as part of a special grand jury hearing attempted rape allegations against the same elected official.

The grand jury returned a “no bill,” meaning it did not indict him on any charges, Wednesday.

According to the police report, officers responded to a 911 call of domestic violence at 9:51 p.m. Sunday. The caller was a female who was at the councilman’s Ironton home.

Upon their arrival the accused, had already left the scene, the report stated. The victim, the man’s girlfriend, was crying and “appeared to be having trouble walking,” according to the police report.

The report also stated the woman was “complaining of severe pain on her back and side and was also bleeding from her left hand.”

The woman told police her boyfriend had just returned home from drinking and playing cards when he became angry because he couldn’t find his phone. The woman claimed she told the man to retrace his steps, but said he became angry so she threw a glass of wine on him.

The woman then alleged her boyfriend “swung his arm at her, knocking her to the ground and causing her to hit her back on something.”

Officers noted in the report that the woman had a laceration on her left hand, red marks and scratches on her right side and a small scratch on her forehead.

The woman was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center by the Lawrence County EMS.

When officers arrived at the hospital to get a voluntary statement, the woman declined and said she didn’t want to press charges. The report stated officers told the woman that the case would be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office due to her previous statement and her injuries.

The report said photos were taken of the woman’s injuries.

At 10:35 a.m. the next day, the woman signed a handwritten statement saying she did not want charges filed. She also alleged the injuries were a result of slipping on spilt wine.

“I had a glass of wine in my hand and I poured it on him,” the statement said. “He held out his arm so I wouldn’t pour anymore on him. The floor was slick because there was wine on it. When I turned to walk away, I slipped and fell flat on my left side, dropped the glass and it broke. That’s where the cuts on my hand came from.”

IPD turned over the report to the prosecutor’s office detailing the incident, however, formal charges don’t occur until the prosecutor files with the court.

Because the county prosecutor is also the city prosecutor and the incident involves city council, the prosecutor’s office requested a special prosecutor from the attorney general’s office to determine if charges will be filed.

The same councilman was accused of attempted rape by an Ironton woman last year but was cleared of those accusations Wednesday when the grand jury returned a “no bill.”

An attorney from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification presented the case earlier this month to a special grand jury called by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office but it was continued until this week.

No charges have been filed in the alleged domestic violence case. The Tribune does not generally identify rape victims or individuals accused of crimes until formal charges are filed.