Ottawa man sentenced in rape of young boy
Aug. 13—OTTAWA — The mother of a young boy who was the victim of a sexual assault by an Ottawa man cited biblical passages and said Thursday she would follow the teachings of Jesus in asking for his forgiveness.
The woman made her statements in Putnam County Common Pleas Court during a sentencing hearing for Jesus Tapia Jr., 59, who pleaded no contest last month to a modified rape charge. Judge Keith Schierloh found Tapia guilty of the first-degree felony.
Shierloh on Thursday sentenced Tapia to 11 years in prison and labeled him a Tier 3 sex offender. As such he will be required to register with local authorities every 90 days for the remainder of his life.
"I asked myself, 'What would Jesus do?' A couple of months ago I do not think I would have given you forgiveness," the victim's mother told Tapia. "But today I forgive you ... not because I have to, but because I want to."
Tapia said little during the hearing, spending most of his time looking down at the table before him and occasionally wiping a tear from his eye. By virtue of his earlier no contest plea, Tapia acknowledged the facts as presented but did not admit guilt.
Tapia was "in a position of authority" over the male, identified in the original indictment as John Doe, with a birth year of 2008, making him 12 or 13 at the time. Prosecutors alleged that Tapia engaged in oral sex with the boy "by force or threat of force" at a home in the 700 block of South Oak Street, Ottawa, on March 21.
Tapia was previously convicted of a similar charge in Montgomery County in 2002, according to the original indictment. He had already been labeled as a sexually oriented offender after his release in September 2012.
Neither that previous indictment nor the age of the victim were included in the new charges accepted as part of the plea deal. Tapia also had a motion to revoke supervision on a tampering with records charge set aside as part of the deal.
