The trial of a 76-year-old man accused of raping several young girls continued for the second week Monday at the Athens County Court of Common Pleas.
Thomas Shifflet received charges of three counts of gross sexual imposition, one count of sexual imposition and one count of rape after allegedly molesting 3-, 7-, 11- and 12-year-old children between November 2010 and June 2011 and allegedly raping a 4-year-old in June 2011, according to court documents.
The court called upon several witnesses Monday, including pediatric nurses who treated the victims in the hospital.
Nurses said that although the children showed extensive redness in their genital areas, molestation is not necessarily the obvious cause.
However, 95 percent of sexually abused children show “normal” results after their examination, which consists of swabbing areas of the child’s body with a cotton swab in order to collect DNA from the perpetrator, said Gail Hornor, pediatric nurse at Columbus Children’s Hospital who treated a victim showing normal results.
A few of the children testified in court last week via DVD recordings from outside the courtroom trial.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said he was unable to comment on the trial because it is an ongoing case represented by the County Prosecutor’s Office.
The trial will continue Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 a.m. Further scheduling of the trial has yet to be determined.
kf398711@ohiou.edu
