CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A Chillicothe man awaiting a new jury trial after previously being convicted of rape and attempted rape was arrested Sunday, September 14, following an alleged assault in downtown Chillicothe. Police also reported finding suspected narcotics in his possession during the arrest.
Dacoma Malaki Lett, 23, was previously found guilty by a Ross County jury in 2024 of two counts of first-degree felony rape and two counts of second-degree felony attempted rape. The offenses merged for sentencing, and Lett received an aggregate prison sentence carrying a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 14 years. He was also classified as a Tier III sex offender.
Following subsequent appellate and post-conviction proceedings, Lett was returned to Ross County in May 2026. After a bond hearing, he was released on a personal-recognizance bond with a no-contact condition involving the alleged victim in that case. A new jury trial is currently scheduled for November 3–5, 2026.
Lett is now facing a separate criminal allegation stemming from an incident on September 14.
According to a Chillicothe Police Department report obtained by Hopewell Heritage Headlines, officers were dispatched to Cheap Tobacco at 1 N. Bridge Street shortly after 4:40 p.m. for a reported assault.
The alleged victim told police he had been walking along East Main Street near the Wobbly Ghost Tavern when a man he did not know confronted him. According to the report, the confrontation followed comments involving one of Lett’s relatives. The victim alleged that the man then struck him over the head with a blunt object.
Officer Cody Moore reported observing a bleeding laceration on the back-left side of the man’s head. The injury was photographed, and Chillicothe firefighters transported the man to Adena Regional Medical Center for treatment.
A witness told police she recognized the alleged attacker as Lett because she had attended school with him. She reported seeing Lett run toward the victim, confront him and strike him with an object before fleeing east through an alley.
Police later located Lett near South Sugar and East Fourth streets. According to the report, Lett told officers that the man had made a derogatory comment about his aunt and acknowledged having a verbal argument with him. Lett reportedly told police that the man began “acting crazy,” so he walked away.
Lett was taken into custody on an assault charge.
During a search incident to the arrest, Moore reported finding a plastic bag containing a white powder substance in Lett’s right pants pocket. According to the report, Lett told the officer he did not know what the substance was.
Police photographed and secured the substance as evidence and said it would be sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for testing. The police report lists both assault and possession of drugs as offenses and states that the investigation remains pending laboratory results.
Because laboratory testing had not been completed when the report was issued, the substance is being described only as suspected narcotics, and its composition has not been confirmed.
Lett was transported to the Ross County Jail. Jail information previously reviewed by Hopewell Heritage Headlines listed a $5,000 bond with 10% permitted in connection with the new assault case.
The September arrest comes less than two months before Lett’s currently scheduled November jury trial in the separate rape case. The new assault and suspected-drug allegations are separate from that prosecution.
Lett is presumed innocent of the new allegations unless and until proven guilty in court.
