News
Davidson Gets 11 Years For Child Rape
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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After hearing from the victim and apologizing to the court, an Albany woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for raping a 10-year-old girl.
Jennifer Davidson, 37, previously accepted a plea deal in Athens County Common Pleas Court and was sentenced on Thursday. She pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and one count of kidnapping.
Davidson is now required to register as a Tier III sex offender in her county of residence after release from prison. She will also be subject to five years of post-release control, based on the sentence given by Judge George McCarthy.
In exchange for her guilty plea, Davidson will not stand trial on June 23 as previously scheduled, and the victim will not have to testify about the facts of the case.
"By virtue of your plea, we did not cause that child to have to go through testifying about what happened that day," McCarthy said.
Assistant Prosecutor Rob Driscoll explained in previous hearings on the case that Davidson took the girl, whom she knew, to an area park and had her penetrate her with a vibrator. Driscoll also said the investigation found that Davidson had blown marijuana smoke into the girl's mouth and that she had used a cell phone to contact an adult sex line while the girl was present.
The victim chose to read from a prepared statement at the hearing, saying she frequently has nightmares and cries in her room at night because of what "Jenny" did.
"I want you to think about why you sexually abused me…while you're in prison," the girl said, standing with a victim's advocate as she spoke.
Davidson did not look at the victim as she gave her statement, nor did she look toward the victim's father when he spoke to the court.
"We welcomed you back into the family…and trusted you with the most precious thing in our life," the father said, adding that he hoped God could forgive the woman.
When asked by McCarthy if Davidson would like to make a statement, she initially declined but when asked by the judge if she wanted to make an apology, she decided to speak.
"I am sorry for what I am accused of doing," Davidson said.
She receives credit for 249 days of jail time. She has spent nearly the entire length of the case in jail because her bond was revoked at the request of the man who signed her bond. He requested the bond back from the judge after he said he could "no longer trust her" and feared she was using drugs again.
Defense attorney Gregory Meyers said Davidson was "swamped into the grip" of drugs, specifically prescription drugs, when she committed the acts.
McCarthy acknowledged drug use as a factor in the case and encouraged Davidson to seek out available programs in prison to help her.
A no-contact order was issued between Davidson, the victim and the victim's family. McCarthy said if the family wished to lift the order, they could request it.