MOUNT VERNON — A Fredericktown man was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday after he submitted a plea of guilty of two counts of rape in Knox County Common Pleas Court.
Jason K. Atkinson, 36, was given one 10-year sentence for each of the two counts, which stem from separate incidents that involved a then-seven-year-old girl. Due to the seriousness of the crimes, which are both felonies of the first degree, the two sentences will be served consecutively.
Atkinson’s ex-wife’s letter said, among other things, that she remembers her reaction when Atkinson was arrested and, according to her, he is not the person that she remembers meeting 15 years ago.
The minor victim, now 12, also spoke and read from a letter where she also expressed her feelings about what had happened.
Both the prosecution and Atkinson’s lawyer jointly agreed on the recommended 20-year sentence for the two counts, which was what Judge Richard D. Wetzel imposed.
After he is released from prison, Atkinson will have to register as a Tier III sex offender for the rest of his life.
In another case, Frederick D. Beaver, 35, was sentenced to a five-year prison term after he submitted a plea of guilty on May 30 to one count of felonious assault.
The charge stems from an incident where he assaulted another man July 19, 2018 that sent the victim to the hospital with serious injuries.
Prior to his sentencing, Beaver requested new counsel to represent him in his case, which was denied, and then he spoke about his actions —- directing his comments to the victim, who was not present in the courtroom at the time.
He was then given five years in prison for the second-degree felony charge and three years of post-release control upon his release.
Mysaiah L. Bray, 35, of Dublin, was given two 11-month prison sentences, to be served consecutively, for violating his community control that stemmed from two drug possession charges.
He had previously been found guilty of aggravated possession of cocaine and aggravated possession of drugs, both fifth-degree felonies, and was originally given community control. He then violated the conditions of community control when he was discharged unsuccessfully from the West Central CBCF on or around June 12, 2019.
Travis Ratcliff, 38, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison after he had pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated trafficking of drugs, both of which are felonies of the fourth degree.
Ratcliff received two 17-month terms, to be served consecutively, for two separate counts that occurred on two different dates.
