News
Millfield Man Charged With Sexual Battery Of Disabled Woman
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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A Millfield man is facing a felony sex charge related to a victim under his care at a residential facility for those with developmental disabilities.
Travis Keirns, 21, of Kierns Road, pleaded innocent in Athens County Common Pleas Court on Monday to an indictment charging him with one count of sexual battery, a third-degree felony.
Keirns was arrested over the weekend and indicted at the last grand jury, Oct. 28, according to Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn. The man is charged with allegedly committing sexual battery on a 22-year-old for whom he was a caretaker at Echoing Meadows in Athens, Blackburn said.
“It was sexual assault because of the relationship he had as her caregiver,” Blackburn said. “It was a one-time deal.”
Blackburn would not comment on the nature of the woman’s disability or any other details of the case.
In court on Monday, Kierns’ bond was set at $15,000 and he was ordered to stay away from the victim.
He was set to be released from the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail at about 7 p.m. on Monday night, according to officials at the jail. Bond was posted in cash, according to court records.
A pre-trial in the case is scheduled for Dec. 9, and a jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 28.
According to agency information, Echoing Meadows, located on West Union Street, is “an assisted-living facility grounded in a Christian philosophy of balanced physical, mental, spiritual and social living.”
The case was investigated by the Athens Police Department. Police Chief Tom Pyle was not available for comment on Monday night.