Port Clinton man charged with domestic violence, sexual battery

PORT CLINTON — A Port Clinton man accused of sexually assaulting a woman pleaded not guilty last month shortly after being indicted on multiple felony charges. On April 11, Peter C. Ladd, 29, of the 3700 block of N. Appell Drive, was arrested by Port Clinton police and booked into the Ottawa County Jail on one count of rape, a first-degree felony; one count of strangulation, a fourth-degree felony; and one count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor. About two weeks later, Ladd was indicted by an Ottawa County grand jury on five charges in total, with the alleged crimes having occurred on the day he was arrested, according to his indictment. • Two counts of domestic violence, each a first-degree misdemeanor • Two counts of strangulation, a third and fourth-degree felony • One count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony On April 24, Ladd appeared in court for an arraignment where he pleaded not guilty, according to court records. As of Friday afternoon, Ladd remains inside the Ottawa County Jail on a $150,000 bond. He has an upcoming court hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on May 20. Background At about 9 p.m. on April 11, a Port Clinton police officer was dispatched to the station to speak with a woman regarding a domestic violence incident, according to a Port Clinton police report. At the police station, the officer began speaking with the victim inside a conference room, where she explained that the alleged assault began the night before and into the next day, the report states. The victim explained that both she and Ladd were drinking and that Ladd allegedly became irate after taking her phone and seeing that she was sending "flirty" messages to another man. She advised that he "grabbed her hard around the arms and shook her while yelling." During the interview, she explained that Ladd went to sleep and that the next day the fight continued to escalate and that while she was trying to get away from him, he allegedly cornered her inside another room of the house and sexually assaulted her, the report states. After the interview, Port Clinton EMS was dispatched to the station to evaluate her for the injuries that she sustained during the alleged assault. The report states that the officer was notified by the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office that Ladd was taken into custody in Fremont after allegedly going there in an attempt to find the victim, the report states. Ladd was then transferred back to Port Clinton and booked into the Ottawa County Jail.