A woman who accused a 20-year-old Kent State University student of rape and kidnapping now is accused of making it up.
Jaden Allen Proctor, an Alliance High School graduate who was indicted March 12 on an array of charges that included several first-degree felonies, pleaded guilty April 15 to a single charge of first-degree misdemeanor assault in Portage County Common Pleas Court.
The Portage County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the other charges in the grand jury indictment.
Proctor had been facing a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to court records. Portage County Common Pleas Judge Becky Doherty closed the case after ordering Proctor to pay $281 in court costs.
The case and its outcome have gained a lot of attention on social media, with many posts questioning the outcome.
Jeffrey Jakmides, Proctor’s attorney, praised the Portage County Prosecutor’s Office.
“I was not surprised by the outcome,” he said. “I want to compliment the county prosecutor’s office because of the way they handled the matter. … I respect the fact that as soon as they became aware of the problem, they acted quickly.”
Portage County Prosecutor Connie Lewandowski, who has a long-time interest in prosecuting special victims cases, including sexual assault and abuse, said the investigation was key to the outcome.
“Basically, our role is to search for the truth, wherever it takes us,” Lewandowski said. “The essence of justice and fairness is grounded in facts, not emotion.”
Proctor was living in Kent at the time the accusations came to light in early March. He is a 2024 graduate of Alliance High School, where he made the honor roll and played on the boy’s basketball team, according to Alliance Review articles.
Kent State University confirmed that Proctor and his accuser, 20-year-old Brooklyn R. Gambino of North Royalton, both are registered for classes at KSU.
Court records show the woman accused Proctor of assaulting her, abducting her from a Kent residence and then holding her at his Whitehall Boulevard residence and raping her, all between Feb. 26 and March 1.
Lewandowski said there was enough evidence, bruising on the woman and some video footage, to justify the misdemeanor assault charge against Proctor.
During meetings with the prosecutor assigned to the case, the woman provided eight different versions of what happened and then eventually recanted the most serious allegations, Lewandowski said.
Lewandowski also cited angry text messages from the woman to Proctor saying she would “ruin his life.”
“We took a second look at the case and the evidence, so we adjusted our plea (offer),” said Lewandowski.
The woman was charged with first-degree misdemeanor falsification alleging she made “a false statement, or knowingly swear or affirm the truth of a false statement previously made,” according to an April 15 complaint Kent police filed in Portage County Municipal Court.
She is scheduled for arraignment on May 6.
Jakmides said experience convinced him that Proctor was telling the truth when he denied the felony allegations.
“I’ve been interviewing people accused of crimes, man and boy, for 50 years, so I have a pretty good sense when I talk to someone who I’m dealing with here,” he said.
Jakmides said Proctor’s version of events, both to him and police, remained consistent, an indication he was telling the truth.
Jakmides also said Proctor and the woman remained in contact with friends and and roommates during the time in question, which he said made it difficult to believe Proctor could have kidnapped the woman.
Lewandowski and Jakmides both said Proctor and the woman evidently had difficulties with each other.
“These two had a volatile relationship,” said Jakmides. “They fought between themselves. I’m sure it was physical at times.”
He added that he believes both Proctor and the woman made mistakes, which he attributed to their youth.
According to court records, after Proctor was sentenced, a civil protection order and a no-contact order against Proctor were canceled. Jakmides, however, said Proctor has been advised to avoid the woman as much as possible, and he believes Proctor will follow that advice.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent rape case shifts as accuser now faces falsification charge
Reporting by Jeff Saunders, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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