Two Washington County men were charged over the weekend in unrelated incidents involving sexual assaults against teenagers.
Arrested Saturday, Milton R. Roberts Jr., 40, of 2050 Roberts Road, Amesville, is accused of giving his 14-year-old stepdaughter alcohol and then raping her earlier this year, according to a Tuesday release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday night, Clayton L. Books, 28, of 832 Fourth St., Marietta, was arrested after allegedly raping a 16-year-old boy near South Seventh Street earlier that day, Marietta police and Washington County sheriff’s reports say.
Both men are charged with felony counts of rape and are being held on $500,000 bond.
Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks said Roberts was arrested after the sheriff’s office was notified of the incident by Athens County Children Services. The sheriff said the assault occurred in January or February, when the girl, who lives in Jacksonville, Ohio, was visiting relatives at Roberts’ home.
According to a release from the sheriff’s office, the girl reported that Roberts gave her three beers and other alcohol. When she woke up the following morning, she found her pants had been removed.
Several days ago, the girl told a family member about the incident and the family member contacted Children Services, Mincks said.
After being notified on Saturday, a sheriff’s detective contacted Roberts, who willingly accompanied him back to the sheriff’s office, Mincks said.
Interviewed there about the allegations, Roberts admitted to the assault, the release says. He was arrested and charged with first-degree felony rape.
According to a Marietta Municipal Court clerk, Roberts was arraigned on Monday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 3:30 p.m. today in municipal court.
In the Sunday incident, a 16-year-old boy reported he was raped in the woods in the 200 block of South Seventh Street.
Early today, Captain Jeff Waite said both the victim and Books filled out employment applications at Wendy’s on Pike Street at the same time and that they left together because Books told him he knew of another job down the street ... that’s how the two ended up in the woods. The application at Wendy’s is how Books was later identified, according to Waite.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Books at 3:30 p.m. June 25 in Marietta Municipal Court.
