Darke Co. man sentenced in child rape case

A Darke County man took a plea deal in a child rape case and was immediately sentenced on Tuesday.

William Clark, 37, was scheduled to go on trial today on 11 counts of rape of a female under the age of 13. Clark was facing 40 years to life in prison.

In the plea deal, six counts of rape were dismissed and the remaining five counts of rape were reduced to sexual battery charges, according to court records.

Darke County Common Pleas Judge Jonathan Hein immediately sentenced Clark to 25 years in prison and ruled Clark a Tier 3 sex offender, which means he must register with the sheriff’s office every 90 days for the rest of his life.