Pleads not guilty, victim was under age of 13

An Ironton man was arrested on Christmas Day and charged with first-degree felony rape for his involvement with a girl under the age of 18.

Clarence Felty Jr., was arrested and jailed on the morning of Dec. 25 on a warrant after being indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury on Dec. 18.

According to the indictment, Clarence O. Felty Jr., 44, of 160 Woodlawn Drive, Ironton, on or about March 1, 2017 through July 29, 2018, in Lawrence County, did engage in sexual conduct with a juvenile, and purposefully compelled the juvenile to submit by force, or threat of force.

Felty pleaded not guilty to the charge Wednesday in the courtroom of Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Christen Finley.

Finley set bond at $75,000 cash or surety and $75,000 OR, and placed him on GPS monitoring until pretrial, which she set for Feb. 6.

The Ironton Police Department took the initial report from the parent of the victim in July 2018 and did numerous interviews with Felty and others.

“We interviewed the people and then turned the case over to the grand jury,” IPD detective Capt. Joe Ross said, adding the victim was under 13 at the time of the incident.

“Mr. Felty and his live in girlfriend had a daycare at their home, and that’s where these allegations took place,” Ross said. The State of Ohio has since suspended the license for the daycare.

Ross said the investigation is continuing and are asking for the public’s help if they know of any more incidents,

“If there is anyone who is a witness, they can call 740-532-5606 and ask for myself or Detective Jamie Pruitt,” Ross said.