Jury convicts ex-prisoner in kidnap, rape of Sylvania Township girl, 16

Jeremy Quinn, Jr., 23, of Springfield Township is taken from the courtroom after he was found guilty of six counts of rape and one count of kidnapping. He told reporters, 'They just crucified an innocent man.'

Jeremy Quinn, Jr., showed no emotion last night when a Lucas County Common Pleas Court jury found him guilty of all charges in the daytime abduction and sexual assault of a Sylvania Township teenager last summer.

The jury of eight women and four men deliberated about two hours before finding Quinn, 23, of Springfield Township guilty of six counts of rape and one count of kidnapping.

The 16-year-old victim and her mother, their hands and arms locked together, smiled broadly, signaling their satisfaction with the verdicts, and later hugged one another and other family members, many of whom had tears in their eyes.

Just four days after being released from prison, Quinn took the victim at knifepoint from her home near Bancroft Street and Centennial Road in the afternoon of July 18 as she was getting into her car to go to work.

He threatened to kill her, pushed her into her car, and drove her to a secluded, wooded area just minutes from her home. He then raped her repeatedly. She was driven back near her home, and Quinn fled on foot.

After the verdicts were read and the jury returned to the deliberation room, Quinn softly told sheriff's deputies and courtroom security officers that he wasn't guilty and that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Quinn, who faces up to 70 years in prison, turned his head and stared briefly at the victim and her supporters as deputies took him from the courtroom. He spoke to reporters in the hallway outside, maintaining he is innocent of the crimes.

"They just crucified an innocent man," he said.

Judge James Jensen scheduled sentencing for Dec. 9. A hearing will be held prior to sentencing to determine a sexual-offender classification for Quinn.

The victim's mother, whose name is not being used to protect the teenager's identity, said the multiple convictions would assure that the community will be protected for many years from Quinn.

"My daughter is a very strong and a brave girl, and this has changed our lives forever. But she wanted to make sure that he will never do this to someone else again," the mother said.

The victim testified Monday that Quinn, whom she had never met, approached her in the driveway about 4:15 p.m., ordered her onto the floor of the passenger side of the car, and drove her to a wooded area.

She testified that he snipped the shoestring strap on her tank top, ordered her to undress, and raped her in the backseat of the car. He then raped her on the ground outside the vehicle and again inside the car.

The jury yesterday heard Quinn testify about a romantic relationship he had with the victim. He claimed he was with the victim that day, but they didn't have sex because he learned she was only 16.

He claimed they met July 14 in the Subway on Central Avenue in Sylvania Township, just hours after he was released from the North Central Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio.

He said she punched his phone number into her cell phone and they talked several times on the phone and had ice cream in a West Toledo store. He claimed she picked him up at his home at 8052 Dorr St. on July 18 and went to her home, but he left when he learned her age.

Linsey Windau, a forensic scientist with the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation, testified that semen inside the underwear of the victim was consistent with the DNA of Quinn.

To bolster the testimony of Sylvania Township police Detective Robert Colwell, prosecutors made Quinn take off his shirt and show the jury a tattoo on his chest that the victim described to police. Detective Colwell also told the jury that the victim picked Quinn immediately from a photo array.

Lori Olender, a county assistant prosecutor who helped try the case, said she believes Quinn is a sexual predator and consecutive sentences would be appropriate because of the series of assaults on the victim.

He could be sentenced to 10 years on each count of rape and 10 years for the kidnapping.

"I think we will ask for as much as we possibly can," Ms. Olender said. "If you can't feel safe walking out of your own home, then where can you feel safe. I am just glad the jury found him guilty because we believe that he would have done this again."

Contact Mark Reiter at:

markreiter@theblade.com

or 419-213-2134.