A Streetsboro man faces a dozen felony counts alleging that he sexually abused women when they were children.
Robert D. Danner, 75, is charged in a grand jury indictment with two counts of first-degree felony rape, three counts of second-degree felony attempted rape and seven counts of third-degree felony gross sexual imposition.
All 12 counts include sexually violent predator specifications and the attempted rape charges include attempted child rape specifications.
According to the indictment, 11 of the charges are connected to one girl, with the alleged offenses taking place between March 1998, when she was 4, and March 2007, when she was 13. She is now 31.
The indictment alleges one of the gross sexual imposition offenses was committed against a second girl sometime between February 2002, when she was 7, and February 2005, when she was 10. She is now 30.
“We are in the very early stages of this legal process,” said Eleina Thomas, Danner’s attorney, “and we are committed to allowing the process to unfold. It’s important to remember that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. It is simply a formal accusation and always in our system of justice, every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”
Streetsboro Police Lt. Rich Polivka said an investigation began about a year ago when the older of the women came forward with allegations against Danner. She said Danner had been acquainted with both girls prior to any alleged offenses against them.
“The victims were known and familiar to Mr. Danner,” said Polivka.
He said the case is still under investigation.
Danner was booked Oct. 15 into Portage County Jail, according to a jail booking report. He was arraigned the same day in Portage County Common Pleas Court. Bond information was not immediately available.
A jury trial is currently is scheduled to begin Dec. 16. A Nov. 19 discovery hearing and a Dec. 10 pretrial hearing are also scheduled.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro man accused of sexually assaulting 2 women when they were children
Reporting by Jeff Saunders, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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