Jury finds Port Clinton man not guilty of rape charges

PORT CLINTON - A jury found a Port Clinton man facing multiple rape and sexual battery charges not guilty of all counts after a trial this week in Ottawa County Common Pleas Court.

Christopher Shortridge, 32, was indicted by a grand jury in April on 15 felonies, including six counts of rape of a minor, six counts of sexual battery and three counts of disseminating harmful material to a juvenile.

Because the alleged victim was younger than 10, the six unclassified felonies of rape each could have carried a maximum penalty of life without the possibility of parole.

According to reports of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, detectives investigated the accusations after the alleged victim spoke to school authorities. The alleged abuse was reported to have occurred over a period of about 2 1/2 years from 2012 through 2014.

The trial began Tuesday and finished Wednesday. According to court records, four of the counts were dismissed at the request of the prosecution. After deliberating Wednesday, the jury found Shortridge not guilty of the remaining 11 counts.

Shortridge’s defense attorney, Patrick Mancinetti, of the DeBacco Law Office, said there was a sense of relief after the verdict.

“I felt that the jury had done the right thing, followed the law,” Mancinetti said.

Mancinetti said he believes his client’s presumption of innocence was key in the jury’s acquittal of Shortridge.

Mancinetti added the defense also found contradictions in some of the testimony at trial.

Shortridge had been held at the Ottawa County Detention Facility, but his bond was terminated and he was released after the verdict was read.

jstinchcom@gannett.com

419-680-4897

Twitter: @JonDBN