South Ohio News

COLUMBUS – The parole of a West Union man convicted of raping his pre-school age stepdaughter after serving less than half of his possible prison sentence drew objections from the Adams County prosecutor and his victim.

The Ohio Parole Board agreed to free Charles A. Wilson II, whose sentence in 1999 by an Adams County judge could have kept him imprisoned until 2049, the prosecutor’s office said in a release.

“Of all the crimes we prosecute, there’s nothing more evil or more disgusting than child rape,” Prosecutor David Kelley said in the release. “The Ohio Parole Board made the wrong decision, and it pains me that this victim will now be further traumatized, knowing the stepfather who abused her is no longer securely behind bars.”

Criminal behind prison bars | Image Source: pxfuel.com

Current law makes child rape punishable by life in prison without parole. This case took place before the law changed, and the Adams County judge presiding sentenced Wilson up to 50 years in prison, the prosecutor’s office said.

The victim testified about the damages the crime caused her, including nightmares and emotional trauma that continue today, the release said.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Mark R. Weaver told the parole board in the hearing broadcast live on the Ohio Channel that releasing the child rapist would endanger the community and re-victimize the victim, the release said.

The parole board voted 6-4 to approve Wilson’s parole.

Wilson took classes while in prison but refused to take the “Comprehensive Sex Offender” and “Criminal and Addictive Thinking” programs, the prosecutor’s office said.

“We appreciate that four parole board members recognized the damage that will be done by releasing this child rapist,” Kelley continued. “But the overall decision was wrong and, while there’s no legal appeal we can bring, the community needs to know when government decision makers make gravely serious mistakes like this.”