Recap of Charles Castle Trial for July 13, 2022

The trial of Charles Castle continued Wednesday in Hardin County Common Pleas Court.

In the afternoon session, a video deposition was played to the jury.

The video featured the then 7 year old girl who was questioned by Prosecutor Brad Bailey and Defense Attorney Elizabeth Smith.

The girl, who turned 8 just this week, told Bailey what happened to her on November 10, 2021.

She said Chuck took her. She even mentioned his last name as Castle.

The girl said Chuck was friends with her dad but not anymore. She said her family now hates him.

She recalled being taken by Chuck in a gray or silver van to his camper.

She also recounted being taken to a basement where she said she was bound with tape on her hands and a cord was wrapped around her neck.

She testified that Chuck pushed her down the stairs.

When defense attorney Smith asked her if Chuck ever touched her private parts, she paused briefly and answered no.

The video lasted nearly 45 minutes.

Kaliegh Swalley wrapped up the day on the witness stand.

She is the SANE nurse who was called from Marion General Hospital. SANE stands for Sexual Assault Nursing Examiner.

She detailed the complete examination conducted on the girl using the standardized rape kit provided by the State of Ohio.

Swalley also asked the girl if during her ordeal she was ever touched in her private area or if her captor ever showed her his private parts, her answer was no.

The nurse also stated that there were no obvious marks indicating a sexual assualt, but that is not always the final answer.

She stated that given the situtation she was in, there is a high risk for sexual assault.

A lot of testimony having to do with evidence collections was provided in the morning session.

Prosecutor Brab Bailey called Detective Justin Dick to the stand first.

He, along with Detective Scott Willoby, were among the first on the scene at the County Road 180 location where the missing girl was found.

She had been bound in duct tape and tied with a cord and was being held in the basement of the unheated home late on Friday November, 12, 2021.

She had been reported missing the day before.

Detective Dick remembers hearing the girl telling Detective Willoby she didn’t understand why “Charlie” pushed her down the stairs.

On cross, Smith asked if he ever heard the girl refer to anyone named Chuck or Charles, to which he said no. He said he only heard her say Charlie.

Charles Castle was known by the family, who often referred to him as Chuck but not Charlie.

Special Agent David Hammond then took the stand.

He detailed all of the evidence he collected at the Leighton Street home where the then 7 year old girl went missing, the property on 180 where she was found, Charles 

Castle’s van and his RV.

Items taken from the RV included duct tape, clear packing tape, and stuffed pink animal. During a second search of the RV, investigators say they found an open condom 

wrapper.

Special Agent Hammond noted that despite the very cluttered conditions in the RV, there was a small closet that was completely empty. 

Items recovered from the minivan, allegedly used to transport the girl, included a pair of pink and purple girls underwear, men’s soiled pants and a personal lubricant.

On cross, Smith asked the agent if it appeared that there was any effort to clean the RV or the van, or if bleach may have been used. Agent Hammond said no, adding that it looks like there has been no such attempt to do that in quite some time.

Master Criminal Investigator Jennifer Scott, from the Hardin County Prosecutor’s Office then identified numerous items that were collected during the investigation.

She was responsible for transporting the items to the BCI lab in London, Ohio where they were analyzed.

Castle is facing multiple charges connected to the kidnapping of the girl, who turned 8 on July 12.

Those charges include attempted aggravated murder, kidnapping and rape.

The trial is scheduled to go through next week.