Child Rape Charges Against Former Franklin County Deputy End in Plea Deal and 30 Days in Jail

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This story started with a tip. A reader pointed us to this case and told us what they believed happened. We checked those claims against the Ross County court record, and what follows is what the record shows.

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio: A former Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy who was indicted on dozens of rape and gross sexual imposition charges, including allegations involving a child under the age of 13, has been sentenced to just 30 days in jail after prosecutors dismissed both indictments against him and he pleaded guilty to five different, lesser offenses.

Charles R. Davis is now sitting in the Ross County Jail serving that 30-day sentence, which began October 20, 2026. He also received two years of community control.

The Indictment Alleged a Victim Under 13

According to the court documents in the case, the rape charges accused Davis of engaging in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 13, repeatedly, between March 2020 and August 2021. Other counts accused him of sexual conduct with another person who was compelled by force or threat of force.

Davis was never convicted of any of those charges. Both indictments were dismissed at the request of prosecutors as part of the plea agreement that ended the case, and the allegations in them were never proven in court.

46 Counts in Court, 58 Counts Announced

Davis was first indicted on July 26, 2024, in Ross County Common Pleas Court, case number 24CR000290, before Judge Matthew S. Schmidt. A second, superseding indictment followed on October 11, 2024.

The court’s own charge listing for the case totals 46 counts: 26 counts of rape, all first-degree felonies, six counts of gross sexual imposition as third-degree felonies, and 14 counts of gross sexual imposition as fourth-degree felonies.

When Davis was arrested, however, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office publicly announced 58 counts, including 32 counts of rape and 26 counts of gross sexual imposition. The reason for the difference between the 58 counts announced at his arrest and the 46 counts in the court record has never been explained.

Arrested by U.S. Marshals

Davis was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Task Force in Ross County in late July 2024. He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on his own recognizance while the case moved forward.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said it learned of the investigation in September 2023 and immediately placed Davis on administrative leave, and that it opened its own internal investigation. In a statement at the time of the arrest, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin called the matter “extremely serious” and said: “I have full faith in the investigation. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct and accountability. I want to reassure our citizens that we are dedicated to transparency, professionalism, and, as always, the safety of our community.”

Davis’s defense attorney, Columbus lawyer Samuel Shamansky, publicly attacked the indictment at the time, calling it a travesty built on unproven allegations.

A Trial That Ended in a Mistrial

The case did go before a jury once. Court records show a judgment entry filed August 15, 2025, declaring a mistrial, with Davis’s bond continued afterward. The case then sat for another year before its final resolution.

The Plea: Both Indictments Dismissed

On August 21, 2026, Davis waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a bill of information charging five offenses, none of them sex offenses:

Three counts of tampering with evidence, third-degree felonies.
One count of making false alarms, a fifth-degree felony.
One count of domestic violence, a first-degree misdemeanor.

In the same judgment entry, filed October 14, 2026, the court recorded that the State moved to dismiss the first and second indictments filed in the case, and the court so ordered. Every rape and gross sexual imposition count went away with them.

30 Days in Jail, Two Years of Community Control

Judge Schmidt sentenced Davis to two years of community control and ordered him to serve 30 days in the Ross County Jail on the domestic violence conviction, beginning October 20, 2026, at 8:00 AM. Davis reported that morning and remains in the jail.

The court also ordered Davis to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s immediate family, ordered him to pay court costs, and released any bond that had been posted. The case was marked closed on October 22, 2026.

More Than Two Decades in Law Enforcement

According to records maintained by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, Davis served with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office from May 13, 2003, until December 2, 2022. He returned to the agency on May 22, 2023, before his second period of employment ended on August 15, 2024. Both employment periods are listed as ending in termination, according to the state’s officer records.

Who Prosecuted the Case

The case was prosecuted by the Ross County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The court record does not name the individual prosecutor who handled or tried the case. That office is led by elected Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey C. Marks.

A case that began with a publicly reported 58-count sex offense indictment against a longtime law enforcement officer ultimately concluded with five convictions for different offenses and a sentence that included 30 days in jail.

We are reaching out for more information and will update this story as details become available.

Send a tip or correction to info@heritageheadlines.com.

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