An attorney for a Columbus City Schools assistant principal charged with paying women who accused her husband of rape to not go to the police said his client is being punished for her husband’s crimes.
Marcia Davis, 56, appeared for a brief arraignment on Sept. 5 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. She pleaded not guilty through attorney Michael R. Moran to two counts of obstructing justice and two counts of intimidation of a witness or victim.
Franklin County Common Pleas Court Magistrate Elizabeth Watters issued Davis a $5,000 recognizance bond and ordered her to stay 500 feet away from any locations associated with the case aside from her own address.
Davis is the assistant principal at World Language Middle School. Columbus City Schools has said Davis is on “assigned from home” status until the case makes its way through court.
Davis is accused of — on at least two occasions in 2021 and 2022 — helping her husband, Michael T. Davis, by giving money or other items to prevent women accusing him of sexual assault from reporting him to the police, according to court records.
Michael Davis pleaded guilty on Aug. 29 to five counts of rape midway through a trial. On Sept. 2, a judge sentenced him to 17 to 22½ years in prison. The charges against him involved allegations from seven women over the course of about 11 years.
Moran said Marcia Davis has been an educator for 28 years and has a spotless record. She has lived in Franklin County for more than 20 years and has been married for 25 years, according to Moran.
“Up to this point, there’s only been a one-sided presentation by the government,” Moran said. “I’d ask the public that before they get out the pitchforks and torches, they allow us to find out what conduct she’s accused of doing that’s a crime.”
Moran said Marcia Davis deserves the same level of respect and presumption of innocence that anyone else would want and expect if they were charged with a crime.
“We don’t punish the child for the sins of the father, nor do we punish a loyal spouse for the crimes of the husband,” Moran said.
A grand jury indicted Marcia Davis on Aug. 22, and she received a summons to appear for the Sept. 5 court date. Common Pleas Court magistrates do not typically set bond amounts that require people to be held in jail if they appear as ordered.
After the arraignment, Marcia Davis’ case will be assigned to a judge and her attorney will be able to receive evidence in the case.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus schools assistant principal being punished for husband’s rape case, attorney says
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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