Ex-Franklin County deputy indicted on rape charges appears in court

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WCMH) -- A fired Franklin County deputy appeared in court for the first time Monday after a 58-count indictment that includes over two dozens rape charges.

Charles Davis appeared in Ross County Municipal Court nearly one month after being arrested on 32 counts of rape and 26 counts of gross sexual imposition. His pretrial hearing took place with a victim asking the judge to put a protection order in place and to reconsider a bond amount.

Davis was fired by the Franklin County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 15 nearly one year after he was placed on administrative leave. His indictment showed half of the 32 rape counts occurred between March 1, 2020 and Aug. 7, 2021. For those 16 counts, the victim was under 13 years old. A victim under 13 is also listed for 13 of the sexual imposition counts.

He was arrested on the same day of his indictment, July 31, and released with court documents saying he was not allowed to have any contact with minors outside his own children, and was fitted for GPS monitoring.

The judge acknowledged that Davis has been compliant with his orders and that bond would be reconsidered should he break those. His jury trial is scheduled to begin on March 4.