Man arrested after step-granddaughter posts video of alleged rape on Snapchat
A woman who was allegedly raped by her step-grandfather posted footage of the incident on Snapchat, police have confirmed.
Authorities say the unnamed 20-year-old was drunk at the time after being given alcohol by her grandmother's new partner, and that she was shown in the video "clearly" protesting several times against his sexual advances.
James Allen, 77, was arrested and charged with rape on Tuesday in Marblehead, Ohio. Police said a friend of the woman viewed the Snapchat clip and asked officers to conduct a welfare check in the early hours of the morning.
Michael Meisler, the police chief of Danbury Township, said the woman was staying with her grandmother and Mr Allen at the time of the alleged incident.
Officers were allowed into the house by Mr Allen who took them upstairs, where they found the woman in an impaired state, Mr Meisler said. She was taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center and was later discharged.
The local prosecutor said he believed the Snapchat video “clearly” showed a sexual assault taking place, and confirmed police were determining whether it was live-streamed or posted after the alleged attack. He urged anyone who had seen the clip to delete it from their phones.
Mr Allen is being held at a county jail on a $1m bond and appeared in court on Wednesday.
