Max penalty life in prison

A Chesapeake man is facing life in prison following his indictment by a Lawrence County grand jury on more than 50 counts of rape.

Charles A. Ferris, 30, of 418 Second Ave., was charged with 54 counts of first-degree rape of a child. The dates included in the indictment range from October 2008, when the alleged victim, a family member, was 2 years old, to June of this year, listing the alleged victim as nine years old.

“The mother of the child called and reported it and the investigation went from there,” Lawrence County Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson said.

Each indictment carries two specifications, the first being that the jurors found that Ferris “committed the offense with a sexual motivation.”

In the second, jurors found Ferris to be a “sexually violent predator.”

Anderson said while each rape charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, the specifications “could give the court some additional sentencing options if he is found guilty.”

Also indicted in relation to this case was Kathryn M. Ferris, 63, of the same address.

She was charged with 30 counts of first-degree complicity to rape. Dates in the indictment range from November 2012 to June 2016.

Other indictments filed this week are:

• Nicholas S. Christian, 28, of 72 Private Drive 4037, Ironton, having weapons under a disability, receiving stolen property and misdemeanor possession of drugs and resisting arrest;

• Melissa Legrand, 39, of 54 Private Drive 1006, Scottown, complicity to breaking and entering and misdemeanor possession of drug abuse instruments and resisting arrest;

• Clinton Spurlock, 29, of 11928 Kelly Drive, Ashland, misuse of credit cards;

• Scott A. Erickson, 41, of 243 Lafayette Lane, Franklin Furnace, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and misdemeanor resisting arrest;

• Ricky L. Fraley, 46, of 3086 State Route 160, Gallipolis, burglary;

• Julius A. Sudderth, 59, of 1311 Second St., Portsmouth, burglary;

• Rebecca S. Miller, 23, of 705 Ashtabula St., Ironton, burglary;

• Mark E. Gaspers Jr., 275 A. County Road 52, Ironton, theft;

• Jason J. Pinkerman, 30, of 163 Township Road 615, South Point, possession of heroin;

• Lisa M. Rentz, 31, of 541 Hull Ave., Findlay, tampering with evidence and possession of heroin;

• Jeremy A. Smith, 25, of 3336 Williamsburg Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan, possession of drugs and trafficking in drugs;

• Ethan Anderson, 19, of 2033 State Route 243, Ironton, tampering with evidence;

• Joshua R. Folden, 27, of 1319 Park St. Apt. 1, Huntington, grand theft;

• Rodney G. White II, 37, of 83 Private Drive, Proctorville, robbery;

• Kristina B. Pierce, 30, of 301 Third St. E., South Point, possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug abuse instruments and possession of drug paraphernalia;

• Brandon Primm, 32, of 801 Little Solida Road, South Point, trafficking in marijuana and possession of criminal tools.

The grand jury also returned one secret indictment.

An indictment is a formal allegation that an individual has committed a crime. The accused are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.