It was a mixed verdict Friday for the man accused of repeatedly raping a woman and later holding law enforcement officials at bay with a fire ax at Honda’s Marysville Auto Plant.
Max Arnold, 31, of 628 Kenny Lane, was found not guilty of six counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery and one count of possession of criminal tools. He was found guilty of inducing panic, a misdemeanor, and obstructing official business.
The jury, eight men and four women, could not come to a decision on one count of felonious assault. Deliberations took nearly a full day.
“While we obviously respect the jury’s verdict, we are certainly disappointed,” said Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips.
The trial took two and a half days. Assistant Union County Prosecutor Andrew Bigler presented 13 witnesses, including the victim. Prosecutors also introduced 33 exhibits including a pair of audio recordings that Arnold made and a 911 call.
Arnold did not testify as part of the trial. In fact, his defense attorneys, Lisa Music and Alison Boggs, called no witnesses.
Bigler said he did not know if prosecutors would retry the felonious assault charge. He asked that Arnold’s bond remain at $100,000 until his sentencing or until a decision on additional charges was made.
Music said her client had been cleared of the most serious charges. She said he has been incarcerated since Aug. 31 and asked that he be released on his own recognizance.
Sitting Judge Mark O’Connor agreed and released Arnold, warning him that if he does not appear for a court hearing, he could be charged with another felony.
O’Connor set the sentencing for March 6. Arnold could face as many as 18 months in prison. He could have faced life in prison if convicted on the rape charges.
Phillips said he continues to believe the case against Arnold was “strong.” He said he wishes the state had been able to introduce evidence that O’Connor would not allow.
“As a general matter, women who come forward are afraid of not being believed, and that is unfortunate,” Phillips said.
Phillips said he will talk with the woman about retrying the felonious assault.
“We will discuss that with the victim and make a determination,” Phillips said
Arnold and the woman had been acquaintances for several years and had communicated on social media.
In April, the pair met at in Columbus and began drinking. The pair came back to Arnold’s home in Marysville where they continued to drink.
At some point the woman apparently became so impaired that she passed out. Prosecutors alleged it was during that time Arnold raped the woman several times.
“He never tried to deny the violence, he simply tried to say she liked it and all women do,” Phillips said.
When the victim woke in the early morning hours the next day, she contacted police, who went to the man’s home and met with both Arnold and the victim. At that time, the woman claimed she was raped and Arnold claimed the encounter was consensual.
The victim was taken to Dublin Methodist Hospital. A sexual assault nurse examiner from the hospital testified on the woman’s behalf during the trial.
On Aug. 31, deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s office went to Honda’s Marysville Auto Plant to serve an indictment on the charges.
When deputies entered the auto plant at about 2:45 p.m., Arnold ran, grabbed a fire axe, and threatened the deputies.
Arnold climbed onto a mezzanine on the top of a production press inside the plant. He refused to drop the axe and threatened to hurt himself.
Production at the plant was stopped and Honda associates were moved from the area.
First responders tried for several hours to negotiate with the man. When negotiations failed, a decision was made to have one group of special response team members distract Arnold while another team positioned themselves to subdue him. Once officers were on the mezzanine with him, Arnold surrendered without further incident.