Oak Harbor man indicted on rape, strangulation

PORT CLINTON — A grand jury recently indicted an Oak Harbor man accused of sexually assaulting a woman inside his residence. Ottawa County grand jurors indicted Devon A. Marshall, 34, of the 100 block of N. Church St., on Feb. 18. Marshall is charged with one count of rape, a first-degree felony; one count of sexual battery and one count of strangulation, each a third-degree felony. According to Marshall's indictment, the alleged crimes occurred on or about Feb. 13 and Feb. 14, when Marshall engaged in "sexual conduct" with someone "by force or threat of force." On Feb. 20, Marshall appeared in court for an arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty, according to court records. As of Monday afternoon, Marshall remains inside the Ottawa County Jail on $350,000 bond. He has an upcoming court hearing scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on April 1. Background The investigation into Marshall first began at about 1:10 a.m. on Feb. 14, when an employee at a local bar flagged down an Oak Harbor police officer regarding an alleged sexual assault that involved one of their customers. The employee who flagged down the officer led them over to the victim, seated near the end of the bar, and escorted her back to the cruiser to speak with her, according to an Oak Harbor police report. While speaking with the woman, the officer was informed that Marshall returned to the bar, was being held back by customers, and was then detained and checked on by EMS, the report states. The officer then went back over to speak with the woman and while speaking with her, she told the officer that Marshall allegedly sexually assaulted her at his home and struck her in the face. Due to the sexual assault allegation, the officer turned over the investigation to an agent with the Ottawa County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, which photographed the injury to her eye, the report states. After Marshall refused EMS assistance, he was transported to the Oak Harbor Police Department and interviewed by the agent regarding the alleged incident involving the woman. At the conclusion of Marshall's interview, he was advised that he was going to be booked into the Ottawa County Jail on two counts of assault, each a first-degree misdemeanor.