Defendent weeps after Portage County jury finds him not guilty of rape of 9-year-old girl

RAVENNA − As the verdict was read Friday afternoon in Portage County Common Pleas Court, Curtis Ransom quickly put his head down on the table in front of him, his shoulders shaking as he cried.

"Not guilty," read Magistrate Chad Hawks, filling in for Judge Becky Doherty.

As soon as the verdict was read to conclude the case, a man began screaming at Ransom, accusing him of rape and using a racial slur.

Curtis Ransom trial: Suspect in Ravenna rape case to face accuser in court

The verdict came roughly 2 1/2 hours after the prosecution and defense concluded their closing arguments. Doherty had been present earlier and was listening in via phone during the verdict.

In the pandemonium, as Portage County Sheriff's deputies rushed to contain the man and clear others from the room, Ransom quickly disappeared from view.

The grand jury indictment against Ransom said he raped a girl between Nov. 1, 2018, and Jan. 13, 2019, when she was 9. Two earlier versions of the indictment included later date ranges.

It was alleged it happened in the Ravenna apartment where Ransom and his family, now Summit County residents, were living in at the time.

During testimony Friday morning, Ransom said he first heard there were allegations of inappropriate behavior with the girl in September 2020, but they were vague. Prosecutors have said that it was around this time that the girl, then 11, had told a friend what allegedly happened. The friend talked her into going to his mother, who then told the girl's mother.

After speaking to her daughter, the mother then made an emotional 911 call to police.

Ravenna Police investigators questioned Ransom at his home, where they spoke for 30 to 40 minutes with Ransom and his wife in May 2021. At that time, the police asked if he was aware of allegations against him, and he told them he had heard they involved "touching."

"All I said was I just want to know what I'm accused of," said Ransom.

Prosecutor Mary Beth Kiah said the delay between the allegations being reported and police questioning him were due to limits in police staffing necessitating prioritizing investigations. Since it was deemed at that point that the girl was safe, it was decided other investigations took precedence.

Ransom said he was not aware that he was accused of rape until he was arrested in March 2022 and saw the indictment, which contained a single count of felony rape. He said he was afraid and angry.

"How it went from touching to rape, I haven't a clue," said Ransom.

Ransom denied raping the girl, and said he never even thought about touching, much less raping, a child.

Prosecutors said that because so much time elapsed between the alleged rape and the girl coming forward, there was no physical evidence. They also acknowledged there were no eyewitnesses. But they said that the girl's emotional testimony qualifies as evidence under the law.

"In her testimony, if you believe it, is enough for a conviction," said Prosecutor Mary Beth Kiah, adding later that the girl had been willing to come in and testify before strangers. Kiah also pointed out that defense attorney Vincent Pacetti described the notion that Ransom is a child rapist as "preposterous."

"I submit to you that it is preposterous to believe that (the girl) came in here and lied to you," Kiah told the jury. "What did she have to gain?"

She also cited an "invasive" exam by a nurse as part of the investigation before asking "Why would she go through all of this if it just didn't happen?"

Pacetti said there had been inconsistencies in what the girl alleged during the investigation, including what specifically happened and when. Prosecutors explained was was due to the girl's young age.

Pacetti said the prosecution's case depended primarily on the girl's testimony and "emotion."

"What you've seen here is nearly the weakest rape case imaginable," he said.

He noted that Ransom, with corroboration from Ransom's wife and mother, testified the girl engaged in weekend sleepovers with other children at the couple's apartment. However, in October 2018, the couple's marriage hit a rough patch and they stopped hosting the sleepovers.

Ransom moved out in early December, going to stay with his mother. He said he would not have been present for any sleepovers after that. The couple then reconciled, and he moved back in February 2019.

During his closing argument, Pacetti reminded the jury the burden of proof was on the prosecution.

"Your job is to decide whether the prosecutors met their burden, and their burden is beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio man weeps after Portage jury clears him in rape case