Jury convicts Toledo man of raping disabled girl

8/18/2012

A 51-year-old man faces up to 40 years in prison after a jury in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on Friday found him guilty on all counts in the rape of a 14-year-old developmentally delayed girl.

Ricky Jamison of 4285 Keygate Dr., Apt. 103, was convicted on three counts of rape and one count of kidnapping. Authorities said he took the girl from the front of her home on March 3, 2011, and raped her in his Toledo home.

Jurors delivered their verdict after about two hours of deliberations and four days of witness testimony.

The victim, now 16, testified on Wednesday that she was "grabbed by the neck," forced into a car, and taken to an apartment where she was "hurt" by the stranger. Her mother had testified that although her daughter is a teenager, she has the learning capacity of someone half her age. The Blade does not identify victims of sexual assault.

She was found the next day walking near the Andover Apartments on Eastgate Road.

Jamison showed no emotion as Judge Gene Zmuda read the verdicts. As soon as the verdicts on the first two counts of rape were read, a loud outburst from an elderly woman ensued and bailiffs escorted her out of the courtroom. A younger man then left the courtroom on his own, cursing under his breath.

The victim's family stayed through the session, becoming progressively more emotional as the verdicts were read. They declined to comment as they left the courtroom after the session was adjourned.

After the adjournment, Lindsay Navarre, an assistant Lucas County prosecutor on the case, stayed in the courtroom awhile, hugging the victim's family members.

"No amount of convictions can ever restore what that man took away from that little girl," Ms. Navarre said after she stepped out of the courtroom. "The evidence in this case was overwhelming and the jury did the right thing," she said.

Sentencing by Judge Zmuda is scheduled for Aug. 24.