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Ex-Officer in Ohio Found Guilty of Raping Teen
By: Associated Press
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LIMA, Ohio (AP) – A fired Ohio police officer has been convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl while off duty last summer.
A judge in Lima on Tuesday found 28-year-old former officer Justin Bentz guilty of rape, kidnapping and sexual battery.
Bentz had testified last week that the girl lured him into having sex with her and that he thought she was 21. But the teen told the judge she repeatedly told the officer no and that she was afraid of him.
Prosecutors say that hours before the encounter in June, the officer had taken an online continuing education class warning it was illegal to have sex with someone underage.
They say Bentz lived in the house with a roommate whose girlfriend is the teen’s sister.
He’ll be sentenced April 14.