Prospect Man Pleads No Contest to Child Rape Charges, Faces Up to Life in Prison

This week, following a years’ long investigation by multiple agencies and an aggressive prosecution, Michael Stith pleaded no contest to five counts of child rape. Stith’s last known address was on Centerville Green Camp Road in Prospect, Ohio.

According to a release from Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan, Michael Stith entered the plea this week after a years long investigation by multiple agencies.

“We had the evidence against this child predator, and he knew it,” Grogan said following the pleas. “The young boys he preyed upon – who are now brave young men – were ready to take the stand and tell the world about Stith’s depraved acts. Their courage in coming forward is what got us here today.”

The rapes occurred in the city of Marion and elsewhere in Marion County, and Stith targeted boys under 13 years old as far back as 1997.

As part of the plea, Stith now faces a penalty of up to 50 years to life in prison. The final decision will be made by Judge Matthew Frericks.

Grogan thanked John Scott and Allison Kesler, the Assistant Prosecutors who also worked on the case and recognized the hard work by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Marion, Ohio Police Department, and Marion County Sheriff’s Office Marion,OH. The investigators uncovered Stith’s pattern of abuse over decades and logged countless hours to gather evidence.

“When a rapist is someone who was trusted and even looked up to by the victim, it makes this horrible act of sexual abuse even worse,” Grogan concluded. “My team and I are fully committed to sending rapists like this to very long terms in prison, where they may well feel the same fear the victim did.”

Sentencing will take place after a pre-sentence investigation is completed. Grogan will encourage the victims to tell the judge their perspective on how long a sentence Stith should serve for his crimes.