Leesburg man indicted on 5 counts of rape, Lynchburg couple charged with endangering children in Highland County grand jury's March session
Three individuals charged with sex-related crimes against children were among the dozen indictments handed down by a Highland County grand jury Tuesday, March 5.
Waylon James Stratton, 33, of Leesburg was indicted on five counts of rape, all first-degree felonies.
The first three counts of the indictment are under the same statute of the Ohio Revised Code, 2907.02(A)(1)(b), which specifies that the victim was allegedly “less than 13 years of age, whether or not the offender knows the age of the other person,” at the time of the alleged offenses. Those three charges cover three separate time periods where “sexual conduct” is alleged to have taken place between Stratton and a juvenile victim.
Counts four and five of Stratton’s indictment are under 2907.02(A)(2), which is for “sexual conduct with another when the offender purposely compels the other person to submit by force or threat of force.” Those two counts also cover two separate time periods where it is alleged that Stratton “purposely compelled” a victim to “engage in sexual conduct.”
In a joint indictment unrelated to the above-mentioned rape case, Andrew L. Watson, 35, and Tiffany L. Watson-Badinghaus, 36, both of Lynchburg, were charged with two counts of endangering children, one second-degree and one third-degree felony; and two counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, both fourth-degree felonies. Watson is additionally charged with one count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony.
The indictment alleges that during two separate time frames, Watson and Watson-Badinghaus “did with knowledge of its character or content, recklessly directly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent or present … any material or performance that is obscene or harmful” to a juvenile.
The second-degree endangering children count alleges that Watson and Watson-Badinghaus “did entice, coerce, permit, encourage, compile, hire, employ, use or allow a child to act, model or in any other way participate in, or be photographed for, the production, presentation, dissemination or advertisement of any material or performance that [they knew] or reasonably should [know] is obscene, is sexually oriented matter or is nudity-oriented matter.”
The other endangering children count charges that Watson and Watson-Badinghaus allegedly “created a substantial risk to the health or safety” of a child “by violating a duty of career protection or support, and the harm resulted in serious physical harm” to the child.
Watson is separately charged with allegedly having “sexual contact” with a child victim, or “causing” the victim “to have sexual contact” with Watson,” or “causing [the victim] and another to have sexual contact.”
In other indictments:
• Christian I. Kittrell, 23, of Wilmington was charged with two counts of extortion, both third-degree felonies.
It is alleged that between December 2023 and February 2024, Kittrell extorted two victims “in Clinton County and as a continuing course of criminal conduct in Highland County.” Allegedly, Kittrell “did … expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject [both victims] to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or to damage [the victims’] personal or business repute, or to impair [the victims’] credit,” with the purpose of obtaining U.S. currency from both victims.
• Michael A. Newsome, 53, of Bainbridge was charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony.
It is alleged that on or about Jan. 18, Newsome “did operate a motor vehicle … so as willfully to elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring [his] motor vehicle to a stop, and the operation of the motor vehicle by [Newsome] caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property.”
• Bailey M. Simmons, 24, of Greenfield was charged with failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, a third-degree felony.
That indictment alleges that on or about Feb. 20, Simmons “did operate a motor vehicle … so as willfully to elude or flee a police officer after receiving a visible or audible signal from a police officer to bring [his] motor vehicle to a stop, and the operation of the motor vehicle by [Simmons] caused a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property.”
• James V. Brown Jr., 43, of Greenfield was charged with failure to appear, a fourth-degree felony, in connection with a separate failure to appear case from earlier this year.
• Anthony W. Hawkins, 59, of Greenfield was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle beyond the scope of express or implied consent, a fourth-degree felony.
The indictment alleges that on or about Dec. 18, 2023, Hawkins “knowingly obtained or exerted control over” an SUV “beyond the express or implied consent of the owner or the person authorized to give consent.”
• April L. Koch, 37, of Greenfield was charged with failure to appear, a fourth-degree felony, in connection with a Highland County Task Force case charging her with 19 counts, including a second-degree felony charge of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
• Norman Benson Sr., 47, of Hillsboro was charged with possession of heroin, a fifth-degree felony.
In addition to the above-mentioned cases, there were two sealed cases, according to Highland County Prosecutor Anneka Collins.
An indictment is merely a charge and is not evidence of guilt.
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