MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—A docket entry filed on Thursday in the Marion County Common Pleas Court has shed light on the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) findings related to the rape trial of Ayers Ratliff, a long-serving Marion City Councilman.
Ratliff is charged with the rape of a minor. This is the second attempt by Marion Prosecutor Ray Grogan to secure an indictment against him. Currently, Ratliff remains free on a $500,000 bond as he awaits trial.
From the outset of the charges, Ratliff’s attorney, JC Ratliff, has claimed that the prosecution has been excessively aggressive in charging his client. According to JC Ratliff, Prosecutor Grogan was aware of the BCI investigation results before proceeding with the indictment. Ratliff also contends that Grogan charged his client without taking the appropriate investigative steps.
The docket entry states: “Defendant’s supplemental response to State’s request for discovery by providing expert DNA report confirming BCI findings that the defendant A.R. (Ayers Ratliff) was excluded as a contributor to the DNA obtained from or thought to belong to A.R. and A.R. was excluded from all samples collected from the DF filed.”
Given the crucial role of DNA evidence in rape cases, Marion County Now has reached out to Marion Prosecutor Grogan for h.is next intended steps regarding the case. As of now, Grogan has not responded to our inquiry.
Ratliff’s legal team commented, “We are not in a position to provide a statement, but the filings speak for themselves.”
Marion County Now will continue to monitor this developing story.