'Monster' given 15-year term for rape, abduction

DNA helped convict Chad Bork, who sexually assaulted a young girl in a South Toledo park.

Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Gene Zmuda yesterday sentenced Chad Bork to the maximum penalty of 15 years in prison on rape and abduction charges for sexually assaulting a young girl in 2004 while she was playing in a South Toledo park, dismissing his claim that he was not a monster.

Bork, 33, lured the victim, then 11, with a game of hide-and-seek and then raped her. But he admitted to the crime only after his DNA matched evidence from the assault, the judge noted.

The threats Bork made to the victim showed his demonic behavior and lack of remorse, Judge Zmuda said. "Those are statements of a truly horrible monster that this society can't have on its streets,'' he told Bork before imposing the sentence.

The victim's stepfather said the sexual assault has been a painful ordeal for the victim and the family.

"No sentence will ever fix what has happened to our daughter. We hope that this man will not be allowed to inflict this pain on another young girl or her family for a long time,'' he said.

The judge also classified Bork, of 3307 Arlington Ave., a sexual predator. The designation requires lifetime registration with the county sheriff's office upon his release from prison.

The victim was playing with a 9-year-old cousin at Danny Thomas Park in the 2200 block of Broadway on Aug. 12, 2004 when Bork enticed the children with fireworks. He then engaged them in a game of hide-and-seek to separate them.

While the cousin's eyes were closed, Bork picked up the girl, took her to a secluded area near the park, and raped her. He threatened to hurt her if she told anyone.

"Bork is a monster. He stole the innocence of a young child. He put a lot of thought into the crime,'' Jeff Lingo, an assistant county prosecutor, said after the sentencing.

The crime went unsolved until last year, when the defendant's DNA was matched to evidence taken in the crime from a rape kit through a state crime lab database.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation had a DNA match on evidence from a rape kit taken from the victim.