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Fourth Member Of Bellar Family Arraigned In Sexual Abuse Case
By: WOUB News Team
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – The brother of a previously missing Athens County girl has pleaded not guilty to an indictment implicating him in the abuse that allegedly led her to run away from home.
He was indicted last month on three counts of rape and two counts of gross sexual imposition.
The charges come from an investigation into the disappearance and reappearance of his sister, Serah Bellar, who made claims of sexual abuse by members of the Bellar family.
The allegations against Josiah Bellar involve two juvenile victims between January 2011-2014, April 2015-2016, and April 2008-2016. The gross sexual imposition incidents allegedly took place between April 2008-2016.
Bellar is currently incarcerated in the Warren Correctional Institution while serving a sentence for theft, robbery, having a weapon under disability and forgery. He is scheduled to be released on December 2.
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Liz Pepper asked for the $100,000 bond, citing the serious nature of the offenses and the fact that the case could go longer than his release date. She alleged a network within the Bellar family of being uncooperative with the investigation and also said Josiah has made threats against one of the victims in the case.
Pepper asked that Bellar have no contact with the victims, any of the co-defendants in the case nor the children of the Bellar family.
Lang agreed with the conditions and the bond request.
Connected with this case are charges against Josiah Bellar’s parents, Robert, 54, and Deborah Bellar, 49, of Athens. They are charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and two counts of endangering children.
They are both being held in the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail under separate million-dollar bonds.
Josiah Bellar’s brother, Jonathan, 26, is charged with gross sexual imposition as well and is being held on a $100,000 bond.
An Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Jimmy Childs, is charged in Athens County Municipal Court with tampering with evidence and obstructing justice, both third-degree felonies. He is accused of deleting a record of a phone call with Robert Bellar, not reporting the call to his supervisor and making a false statement during the investigation.
Childs posted bond shortly after his arrest and is on paid administrative leave from the sheriff’s office.
Josiah Bellar’s pretrial has been scheduled for July 8 with a jury trial on Sept. 9.
The case remains under investigation.