A St. Marys man accused of 10 counts of rape accepted a plea deal Friday afternoon that could see him spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Dillon Howell, 22, appeared before Judge Mark Spees in an impromptu pre-trial hearing. Howell’s jury trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court. He was originally charged April 17 with 10 counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, which are first-degree felonies; and three counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, second-degree felonies.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the prosecution dropped nine of the rape charges and amended the first count of rape to a time frame that encompasses the entire... For more on this story and others pick up a copy of the Wapakoneta Daily News.