The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to clarify how long juvenile court judges have jurisdiction over youthful sex offenders.
The State Supreme Court building. [Dan Konik | Statehouse News Bureau]At issue is a Cincinnati-area defendant who says the judge in his case lost jurisdiction once he turned 21 in 2017. Court records say the defendant sexually abused two young relatives when he was 14. The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office says the 1st Ohio District Court of Appeals wrongly interpreted Ohio law and previous court rulings. The prosecutor’s office says juvenile court judges have permanent jurisdiction over juvenile sex offender classifications.
The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to take the case.
