Former police officer found guilty on rape charge from high school years

Centerville man was acquitted of 4 counts of rape, one count of gross sexual imposition.

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

A jury found a former part-time Waynesville police officer guilty of rape for conduct that happened while he was a high school student.

Peyton John Kocevar, 23, of Centerville, will be sentenced Jan. 4 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

Along with his conviction of one count of rape by force or threat of force, Kocevar was acquitted of four counts of rape and a count of gross sexual imposition. The jury also could not reach a decision on two counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.

A trial took place last week but the jury did not reach a verdict until about five hours of deliberation Friday and approximately eight additional hours of deliberation on Monday.

Kocevar was accused of sexual misconduct against multiple teens while in high school between 2012 and 2016 in Centerville and Kettering when he would have been between 14 and 17 years old, Centerville police and prosecutors said.

He joined the Waynesville Police Department in 2019 and was fired in 2020 after he was indicted.

Kocevar’s attorney, Jon Paul Rion, has said his client denies the accusations. He did not respond to a request Tuesday by the Dayton Daily News seeking comment.

Kocevar has remained free on $100,000 bond since June 2020. As of Tuesday, he was not listed as a Montgomery County Jail inmate.

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