The Ann Arbor man appeared in Athens County Common Pleas Court Wednesday morning.
At his arraignment Wednesday morning in Athens County Common Pleas Court, a Michigan man pleaded innocent to all ten felonies he faces.
Dedrick Peterson, 31, of Ann Arbor, was arrested last week following an investigation by the Athens Police Department, which led to a further inquiry by Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn's Sexual Assault Unit.
Peterson is charged with ten felonies — six counts of rape, thee counts of sexual battery and one count of aggravated burglary. The rape and aggravated burglary counts are first-degree felonies, while the sexual battery counts are third degree.
According to an indictment from an Athens County Grand Jury, all the counts reportedly took place on or about Oct. 13 of last year — Ohio University's Homecoming Weekend. Peterson was a member of the Marching 110 from 2009 to 2013.
Peterson's attorney, Susan Gwinn, partly blamed the Court Street public sex act for her client's arrest. Ever since, she said, groups like F--kRapeCulture have been "putting pressure on the police, the prosecutor and various people saying they're not handling sexual assault cases right."
"The next thing we know, one year after, Mr. Peterson who lived in Athens, Ohio until July of this year...is contacted by the county prosecutors office and asked to talk to them because they want to close the file," Gwinn said.
