Oak Hill minister indicted on sexual assault charges

0

An Oak Hill minister has been indicted by a Jackson County grand jury on 15 felony charges related to the sexual assaults of two juveniles and an adult.

Dennis Wright, 67, of Oak Hill, is charged with seven counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery, two counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, three counts of gross sexual imposition, and one count of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.

The investigation, which was conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), also uncovered a third victim who was 10 years old when Wright allegedly attacked the child between 1989 and 1990.

“This defendant used his position of authority to target vulnerable victims who placed their trust in him,” Ohio Attorney General DeWine said. “The investigation has also led us to believe that there could be even more victims, and I urge anyone with additional information to come forward.”

Jackson County deputies and BCI agents took Wright into custody on Monday afternoon.

“Today’s arrest is the result of the collaborative efforts of local and state authorities,” Jackson County Sheriff Tedd Frazier said. “We take these allegations very seriously, and those who prey on innocent residents of Jackson County will be held accountable.”

Wright most recently worked as a minister to a small congregation on State Route 93 outside of Oak Hill where two of the victims, a juvenile and an adult, were parishioners. Wright is accused of assaulting the juvenile on multiple occasions between 2012 and 2015 and assaulting the adult, whose ability to resist or consent was substantially impaired, on multiple occasions between 2009 and 2010.

The case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section working as part of Attorney General DeWine’s Crimes Against Children Initiative. Eight of the charges filed against Wright include a sexually violent predator specification, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Anyone with additional information should contact BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446) or the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 740-286-6464.

By Frank Lewis

[email protected]

Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.

No posts to display