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Davidson Case to go to Trial after Plea Agreement Rejected
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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After two hours of waiting while lawyers discussed her case, an Albany woman charged with rape rejected a plea deal and a trial date was scheduled.
Jennifer Davidson, 37, appeared in Athens County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday for a final pre-trial, where her attorney, Glenn Jones, told the court Davidson would not be taking a deal offered by the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office.
“We are ready to proceed to trial,” said Jones, attorney for the Ohio Office of the Public Defender.
Davidson was arrested in June for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with a 10-year-old child at an apartment in The Plains, according to previous Messenger reporting. She is also accused of kidnapping the child “for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity,” according to court documents.
In October, Athens County Common Pleas Court terminated Davidson’s diversion on an unrelated theft case, on which she was indicted in March 2011. Her $20,000 bond was requested to be returned by the man who paid because he said he could no longer trust her.
Davidson is currently incarcerated after Judge L. Alan Goldsberry set a new bond at $500,000 with 10 percent allowed.
At Tuesday’s hearing on the rape case, Athens County Assistant Posecutor Rob Driscoll told the court he had brought an offer to the table of a 10-years-to-life sentence. The plea deal also required Davidson to register as a Tier III sex offender, meaning she would have to verify her location with local law enforcement every 90 days for the rest of her life.
“My client decided to reject that deal,” Jones said.
Judge George McCarthy scheduled a four-day trial to begin Jan 28.
“The prosecutor has witnesses he has subpoenaed for the trial already,” McCarthy said.
Jones said he planned to make motions for consideration before the trial on “conduct or contact” with Davidson by an unidentified entity, which was discussed privately in chambers. He did not comment further on the issue.
Also at the hearing, Jones requested that various CDs and DVDs involved in the case be released for his review, and said he would make a motion to the court about them. He also said he will file a motion seeking a furlough for Davidson “so she can deal with some medical issues,” he said Tuesday.