Accused of committing a sex offense in Ohio? There is a lot to be concerned about. In Ohio, almost any type of non-consensual contact or any type of sexual activity or communication with a minor is criminalized. Unfortunately, a number of Ohio sex crimes are prosecuted as felonies, which means that if the defendant is convicted, they potentially face years behind bars, thousands of dollars in fines and mandatory sex offender registration. Therefore, if you are being accused of a sex crime that you simply didn’t do, you need to take these false accusations very seriously. While there is no excuse for committing sex crimes, tragically sex offenses are one of the few crimes that are frequently based on false accusations and outright lies.

If the alleged victim has a history of being promiscuous, it’s important to note that in Ohio the courts won’t accept any evidence as to the victim’s sexual activity, nor will they accept opinion evidence about the person’s sexual activity, or their reputation. The only evidence that they will accept in that regard is evidence in the origin of semen, pregnancy, disease, or evidence of the victim’s prior sexual activity with the offender, but only to the extent that the evidence is relevant to the case and not prejudicial in nature.

In January of 2008, Ohio became one of the first states to adopt the provisions of the Adam Walsh Act. This Act has created a universal method for determining sex offender classifications, as well as the requirements for these classifications nationwide. There are three “Tiers” of classifications for Sex Offenders.

Tier 3 is the most serious and with a Tier 3 offense, the offender is required to register their address verification every 90 days for the rest of their life. Tier 3 offenses include rape, sexual battery, felonious assault with sexual motivation etc.

Tier 2 offenses require registration for 25 years with address verification every 180 days. Some Tier 2 offenses include compelling prostitution, gross sexual imposition victim under 13, child endangering, abduction with sexual motivation, pandering obscenity involving a minor and many others.

Tier 1 offenses require that the offender registers as a sex offender for 15 years with an annual address verification.  These include voyeurism, sexual imposition, menacing and stalking with sexual motivation, and unlawful restraint and sexual motivation etc.

The Bottom Line: There are a number of sex offenses in Ohio, many of which involve jail or prison sentencing and fines ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Your reputation, your career, and your future are gravely at stake.  Often times sex cases rely heavily on the alleged victim’s testimony, and if that person is lying, then you need an aggressive Ohio Criminal Defense Attorney. Call me, I can help:  513-260-2099