The Second District Court of Appeals filed the decision Aug. 26 to reverse Reeves’ conviction and send the case back to the prosecutor’s office.
The appeals court documents were not available late Tuesday afternoon, but Attorney William Daly, who represented Reeves in his criminal trial, said he filed the motion to appeal. He said he “pushed the court” to follow proper procedures, but that did not happen.
“I hate to see anybody have to go through this twice,” Daly said, referring in part to the child victims who were called to testify during the trial. “The children will likely have to come in and testify again. From a citizen’s perspective, that is bothersome.”
All evidence in Reeves’ trial was heard Feb. 23, 2015. On that day, the court heard testimony from six witnesses, as well as the accused via a recorded interview first recorded when Reeves was charged.
Witnesses, including the victims, testified to repeated sexual acts committed by Reeves against them over an extended period of time (a year or two one witness said) within Greene County. Witnesses also testified that Reeves gave the minors gifts — cash, a cell phone, pocket knives — in exchange for the sex acts.
Reeves was arrested in August 2014 after one of the victims agreed to participate in a controlled meeting or “sting” operation. Just moments after the minor completed a brief conversation with Reeves, police moved in and arrested the Fairborn man.
In the interview with police recorded shortly after his arrest, Reeves admitted to the incidents, of which police estimated there were more than 1,000 occurrences.
Prior to this case, Reeves was a registered sex offender due to a 2001 rape conviction.
On Tuesday, Daly said two charges that carried stiff penalties had to be dropped against his client because the case dragged on too long and the charges were not tried in a timely manner.
“Those charges will never come back,” Daly said.
Daly said he has not spoken to his client since his conviction in 2015. He said he doesn’t plan to represent him again in any new criminal proceedings.
The Second District Court of Appeals hears cases in Greene County as well as Champaign, Clark, Darke, Miami and Montgomery counties.
We’re working to get reaction to the decision from the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office.
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