Reed is accused of 100 charges of rape

A Pedro man facing 101 sexually-related charges has turned down a plea deal that would have given him at least 30 years in prison.
Lawrence County prosecutor Brigham Anderson said the deal was offered to Larry D. Reed Jr., 39, of Pedro, on May 4. Reed has been held in the Lawrence County Jail on a $1 million bond since his arrest on Aug. 20, 2020.

“The offer was an indefinite sentence of 30 years to life in prison,” Anderson said. It would have been 30 years before Reed could have a parole hearing. “It is still possible he could take a plea deal.”

If convicted on all charges, Reed could face a sentence of 1,000 years in prison.

A trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection next Monday in the Lawrence County Common Pleas Court of Judge Andrew Ballard.

“I expect that it will take four days for the jury to hear this case, so I expect we would have we would have a verdict by Thursday of next week.”

The Lawrence County Grand Jury Indicted Reed on Sept. 25, 2020 on the 100 counts of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree misdemeanor sexual imposition. There were two female victims in this case, both under the age of 16.

If found guilty on all the charges, Reed could spend the rest of his life in prison since in Ohio, the penalty for first-degree rape is 3–10 years in prison. The penalty for third-degree misdemeanor sexual imposition up to 60 days in jail.

Anderson said that the first 25 rape charges have a potential sentence of 10 years to life in prison and if found guilty on just those charges could result in a life sentence for Reed.

“If he is convicted on all counts, the court has a wide range of sentencing at the judge’s discretion,” Anderson said. “The judge could put as almost as much time as he wanted before (Reed) could see the parole board. So, life without the possibility of parole is not an option for the judge, but if he runs charges consecutively, it could pile up real quick.”

So, if the judge gave Reed the maximum on the first 25 charges, he wouldn’t go before the parole board for 250 years, which is in essence is a life sentence.

The investigation into Reed began after a parent told the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office that Reed had inappropriately touched her child while at his residence in Pedro. She also said that her daughter’s friend confided in her that she had been sexually molested by Reed over the past four to five years at his residence.

Investigators and deputies conducted emergency interviews with both female juveniles. In the interviews, the juveniles reported inappropriate touching of one female, age 15, on one occasion, and multiple counts of sexual conduct with the other female, age 14, over several years.
An interview was conducted with Reed and investigators said made he admitted to the accusations.