After being convicted of rape against an Ohio University student, Levi Canterbury, of Gallipolis, was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday.
Canterbury, 23, was also ordered to pay $8,450 in restitution and a $10,000 fine. If Canterbury pays restitution as ordered, however, the fine will be waived, according to a news release from Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn's office.
“On Sept. 10, 2011, at approximately 3 a.m., Canterbury picked up the victim, who was walking home alone, intoxicated, and offered to give her a ride. Canterbury took the victim to a parking lot and forcibly raped her,” Blackburn said in the release.
Canterbury will be subject to register as a sexual offender upon his release from prison. He'll have to register every 90 days for the rest of his life.
During the trial, Canterbury had always admitted to picking the student up along Ohio Rt. 82; however, he changed a major detail in his story toward the end of the case: He had admitted to having sex with the woman — and claimed she initiated it.
More evidence against the defendant included a DNA test that identified Canterbury’s semen in the victim’s underpants.
He was incarcerated in Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail before sentencing.
The victim told the courtroom that she has a difficult time finding the words to describe her experience and that she looks forward to putting everything behind her.
Her mother agreed.
She said the incident drastically changed her daughter, making her a more introverted, fearful person.
Part of Canterbury’s restitution will include the counseling costs for the victim’s psychologist.
kf398711@ohiou.edu
