Child rapist gets prison

SANDUSKY — A Marblehead man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for raping a child younger than 10 more than a decade ago. Jeremy A. Jenkins, 41, of the 1300 block of Englebeck Road, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, both first-degree felonies, on Dec. 19 in Erie County Common Pleas Court. In exchange for his plea, the state agreed to drop four other counts of rape and six counts of gross sexual imposition. Jenkins was indicted in March. He was accused of having sexual contact with a young child from Sept. 7, 2012 through Sept. 6, 2013. When the victim spoke at the sentencing hearing, she said the abuse went on for years. The defense, state and victim agreed upon a 15-year prison sentence. As he was indicted, Jenkins could have faced up to life without the possibility of parole. His maximum for the two counts of rape he pleaded guilty to is 22 to 27-and-a-half years, according to Erie County assistant prosecutor Paulette Lilly. Lilly credited Sandusky police Det. James DeSalle with bringing the case to a conclusion. Lilly said the victim's focus was on ensuring Jenkins would not be able to harm other children. "I don't understand," said the victim's grandmother. "The nightmares of rape will haunt her the rest of her life." The grandmother said she believes Jenkins has other victims, and she "prays" they come forward. "I saw him as a best friend," the victim said when referring to Jenkins. She described Jenkins as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, stating that he was normal by day and a "monster by night." "Growing older was my only source for knowing this was wrong," she said. "Our secret became our case. Goodbye Jeremy." In order to achieve a 15-year sentence, Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Beverly McGookey needed to impose consecutive sentences. As such, on one rape count, he was sentenced to eight to 12 years. On the other count, he was sentenced to seven to 10-and-a-half years. Under Ohio's Reagan Tokes Law, even though the defense and state agreed to a 15-year sentence, Jenkins was actually sentenced to 15 years to 19 years. Jenkins will be classified as a Tier III sex offender. That means he will have to register his work, education and home addresses with the local sheriff every three months, for life. McGookey did not impose fines on Jenkins but did require him to pay court costs. At the conclusion of the hearing, Jenkins was remanded to the custody of the Erie County Sheriff.