Reeves pleads guilty

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By Whitney Vickers

[email protected]

XENIA — Howard Reeves, 69, of Fairborn, was sentenced 25 years to life in prison Jan. 27 after pleading guilty to three counts of rape, a felony of the first degree; and three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony of the second degree.

Reeves, who was convicted for sexual battery charges on a separate occasion, will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years. He will be 94 years old.

Reeves was originally slated to stand before the court during a jury trial Monday, Jan. 30, after the Ohio District Court of Appeals overturned his March 2015 conviction for the rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor charges. It ruled that he received “ineffective assistance when his counsel failed to object to the trial court’s decision to not allow him the opportunity to accept the plea bargain offered by the state.”

However, he opted to plead guilty Jan. 27, in which Judge Michael Buckwalter immediately gave him the 25 years-to-life sentence.

He was arrested in August 2014 after an alleged victim participated in a police “sting” operation. The grand jury indicted Reeves in October 2014. He stood before the court for the current charges in February 2015 and was sentenced to three life sentences and 40 years in March 2015.

However, his court appointed-attorney William Daly submitted an appeals document to the court to review, listing violations to Reeve’s right to a speedy trial, as well as an incorrectly stated plea deal he was offered before the trial started, in which he was told incorrect information regarding sentencing possibilities, which is why Reeves had the opportunity to be retried for the rape and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor charges.

This publication previously reported that Reeves admitted to the incidents during an interview with police shorty after his arrest, in which it was estimated that there were more than 1,000 occurrences. He was originally charged with five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, but two of the counts were dismissed.

He pleaded no contest to sexual battery charges in 2001, receiving five years of community control.

Rape, a felony of the first degree, is punishable by a 25 years to life sentence. Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a felony of the second degree due to his previous sexual battery conviction, is punishable by eight years of imprisonment.

Whitney Vickers can be reached by calling her directly at 937-502-4532.

Whitney Vickers | Greene County News Howard Reeves, left, plead guilty Jan. 27 to three counts of rape and three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, promptly receiving a 25-years-to-life sentence.
Whitney Vickers | Greene County News
Howard Reeves, left, plead guilty Jan. 27 to three counts of rape and three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, promptly receiving a 25-years-to-life sentence.

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