Man charged in multiple child-sex case enters plea

7/12/2006

A South Toledo man charged in the sexual assaults of several children entered into a plea agreement to lesser charges yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Timothy McMurry, 39, was scheduled to go on trial on six counts of rape and eight counts of gross sexual imposition for sexual misconduct involving two girls and a boy over a 10-year period.

Instead, McMurry withdrew his not-guilty pleas to the 14-count indictment and entered Alford pleas to one count of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition.

In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but pleads guilty to a lesser charge to escape more severe penalties had the case gone to trial.

The plea agreement was accepted by Judge James Bates, who scheduled sentencing for Aug. 17.

McMurry, who lived on Gordon Street, could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Lori Olender, an assistant county prosecutor, said the pleas entered by the defendant were for sexual activity with one of the teenage girls, who was then 11 years old, in 2000 and 2001.

She said the defendant also forced the girl and the boy, who was then 12, to engage in sexual intercourse and watched the activity for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

The third girl, then 10 years old, was sexually abused by the defendant in 2001 and 2002, Ms. Olender said.