Lima man, 76, ruled competent to face rape charges

Nov. 8—LIMA — A 76-year-old Lima man has been deemed competent to stand trial on a variety of sex-related charges involving a young female victim.

Johnny Thomason was indicted by a grand jury in October on three counts of rape, four counts of gross sexual imposition, illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, importuning and disseminating materials harmful to minors.

Two of the rape counts allege Thomason engaged in sexual conduct with a female under the age of 13 from June 2016 through June 2017. The remaining rape charge identifies the same alleged victim and states Thomason used force or the threat of force in engaging in sexual conduct with her during a timeframe from November 2019 through December 2020.

Bond for Thomason was set in Lima Municipal Court at $200,000 cash or surety.

According to court documents, Thomason photographed another victim who was between the age of 15 and 16 in a state of nudity.

Lima Municipal Court Judge David Rodabaugh ordered other court records, specifically the affidavit in support of an arrest warrant for Thomason, temporarily sealed from public view.

Before Thomason was ever indicted by a grand jury, Allen County Public Defender Kenneth Sturgill filed a motion suggesting the Lima man was not competent to stand trial. Sturgill wrote in his motion that Thomason "appears to suffer from dementia, memory loss and shows signs of legal incompetence."

Allen County Common Pleas Judge Terri Kohlrieser ordered Thomason to undergo evaluation at the Forensic Psychiatry Center for Western Ohio in Dayton in early October.

During Monday's hearing, Kohlrieser said examiners at the center found Thomason is competent to participate in his jury trial that is currently scheduled for Jan. 18. Another pre-trial hearing in the case was scheduled for Dec. 22.