A Raymond man has been sentenced to spend the next 82 years in prison.
Earlier this year, Christopher G. Cook, 41, of 22520 Hoover Bault Road, was convicted on multiple counts of child rape, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, gross sexual imposition and witness intimidation. A jury found Cook not guilty on two counts of gross sexual imposition.
Last week, Common Pleas Court Judge Don Fraser sentenced Cook to 82 years to life in prison. Cook will be eligible to go to before the Ohio parole board in September of 2092.
“We were very pleased with the sentence,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Chase, who prosecuted the case. “Obviously, I am happy the jury believed the victim in this case and we think the sentence was appropriate.”
Chase said it had been nearly five years since the abuse and she credited the victim for taking the stand.
“I thought it was a very courageous thing to do. The victim showed a lot of courage to get on the stand and testify against (Cook),” Chase said.
The investigation began after the boy told his mother he no longer wished to visit with Cook, who he knew. The mother initially thought it was because Cook was involved with drugs.
The mother contacted law enforcement after the boy told her about the abuse.
Investigators determined that during December of 2014, Cook convinced his girlfriend, Jacquelyn Tackett, and another woman, Jessica Marie Jade, to have sex with the boy, then 10 years old. He offered money and threatened the boy as part of the rape.
Cook also showed the child a series of pornographic videos, which the boy was able to describe later to investigators.
Cook then threatened to kill the boy and his family to keep him quiet.
A search warrant was issued to search Cook’s Hoover-Bault road home. Investigators found pornography on Cook’s phone consistent with the videos described by the victim. No videos depicting the crimes were found.
Chase said she has been a prosecutor for almost a decade and a half and has “never seen anything like this.”
“This is so far out of the norm, I don’t know that there is anything for parents or for the community to take away from this,” she said.
According to court documents, in 2000, Cook was convicted of corruption of a minor. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to register as a sexually oriented offender.
In 2011, Cook moved from the Hoover-Bault Road address without notifying the sheriff’s office. He was convicted of failure to provide change of address and sentenced to 17 months in prison.
Additionally, Cook has a lengthy history of convictions including for drug and theft related offenses.
Tackett, 35, of 460 Windmill Drive, Marysville, is charged with two counts each of rape and gross sexual imposition. Jade, 34, of Columbus, is charged with two counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition.
Both women are set for trial later this year. Jude could face as many as 25 years in prison while Tackett could face as many as 30 years in prison if convicted.