Man gets decades behind bars

PORT CLINTON — A man who previously pleaded guilty to three counts of child rape was recently sentenced to three decades behind bars. At a court hearing on Aug. 8, James R. Twigg, 40, who does not have an address listed, was convicted on three counts of rape, each a first-degree felony. Twigg pleaded guilty to those charges at a court hearing on June 27, and the plea was made as part of a previous agreement between Twigg and the prosecutors, where he was given the following two options: • Option No. 1: A recommended sentence of 25 years to life for pleading guilty to one count of rape • Option No. 2: A fixed term of 30 years in prison for pleading guilty to three counts of rape Twigg initially pleaded to the first option, but later "(regretted) his initial choice" and filed a motion to switch to the second option, which was accepted, according to court records. As a result of his guilty plea, Ottawa County Common Pleas Court Judge Bruce Winters sentenced Twigg to serve 30 to 35 years in prison and be classified as a Tier 3 sex offender, which means that he must verify home and work addresses every three months for the rest of his life, according to court records. Under the terms of his sentencing, Twigg received a credit of about eight months served in jail and is subject to a mandatory term of five years of post-release control, according to court records. He additionally had two other court cases dropped as a result of his guilty plea. Background Twigg was initially indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury in December 2024 on a single count of rape, a first-degree felony. The crime occurred between October 2020 and October 2021 and involved him "engaging in sexual conduct" with someone less than 10 years of age at the time of the incident, according to his indictment. He underwent a psychological evaluation earlier this year at the request of his attorney, Kate Pruchnicki, which was conducted at the Court Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Toledo. The results from that evaluation were not made available in court records.