WEST UNION, Ohio — Among the 12 people charged Friday by an Adams County grand jury, two men were charged with rape in separate cases and another man was charged with murder.
Marvin Evans, 46, of Seaman, Ohio, was indicted for the murder of Charles E. Rankin, 57, of Seaman, Sept. 4, at Rankin’s residence at 1776 Big Run Road. According to Seaman Police and Adams County Sheriff reports, Rankin was found laying in the yard, with a gunshot wound. He died just before reaching Adams County Regional Hospital.
In other indictments:
— John G. Thompson, 29, of West Union, Ohio, was charged with rape and gross sexual imposition, felonies of the first and fourth degree. Thompson used force or the threat of force April 17 to have sexual contact with a 15-year-old minor, or caused the minor and another victim to have sexual contact, according to county reports.
— J.B. Barnes, also known as Kevin Ryan Schultz, 55, of Winchester, Ind., was charged with rape with specification and gross sexual imposition, felonies of the first and third degree, according to indictments. Barnes engaged in sexual contact with a 8-year-old or caused an 8-year-old and another victim to have sexual contact between June 1,1992 and Aug. 31, 1992 in Winchester, Ohio, according to reports.
— James Nichols, 66, of Winchester, Ohio, was charged with felonies of third and fifth degrees, according to indictments. In Winchester on Sept. 8, he sold or delivered, disseminated, provided, exhibited, rented, or presented to a juvenile or a group of juveniles, or a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, obscene or harmful to juvenile material, with knowledge of its character. Additionally, he was charged with tampering of evidence.
— Charles W. Savage, II, 66, of Xenia, Ohio, was charged with two third-degree felonies of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and sexual battery between October 1990 and October 1996 in West Union. These charges included that he knew the minor was between the ages of 13 and 16, or was being reckless in that regard. The minor victim had attended the church where Savage served as a cleric, according to indictment reports.
— Chad Bradford, 36, of Winchester, Ohio, was charged with bribery and extortion, both third-degree felonies, and a separate charge of felonious assault, a second-degree felony. According to indictments, he knowingly accepted a bribed to improperly influence with respect to his testimony in an official proceeding. Additionally, he tried to induce another to do an unlawful act Aug. 26, according to indictment reports. And on Aug. 12 he attacked Terry S. Morgan with a bat near 70 Fairgrounds Road, Winchester, Ohio, according to the indictment.
— Six people from Manchester were charged with assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine and aggravated possession and conspiracy, all felonies of second, third, and fifth degrees. On Aug. 20, near 923 Pumpkin Ridge Road, Louis Blythe, Lillie Blythe, 43, Larry Newman, 50, Stephen Roettele, 53, and Mark Blythe, 47, were arrested for these illegal activities.
— Ashley Newman, 23, of Peebles, Ohio, was charged with heroin trafficking, a fifth-degree felony.
Contact Karen Stein at Karen.stein @lee.net or call 606-564-9091, ext. 274.
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