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CONTACT OUR LAW OFFICES:
Address: 1119 Adams Street 2nd Floor
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Email: kurt@lawkwb.com
Phone: (419) 243-3800
Sex Offenses
The Law Offices of Kurt W. Bruderly, LLC aggressively defends allegations of sex offenses in Lucas & Wood Counties, including Toledo, Maumee, Perrysburg, Bowling Green, Sylvania and the surrounding counties of Fulton, Henry, Ottawa, and Sandusky.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The mere allegation of committing a sex offense can be detrimental to your relationships, your employment, and your future. Convictions require sex offender registration for long periods of time, including for life. Police and prosecutors often take the side of an alleged victim and focus more on building a case against the accused, rather than investigating what did or did not occur. DNA analysis, complex medical records, forensic interviews - these are routinely part of the State’s case against an accused. It is important to remain silent and allow a skilled attorney to defend you against such claims.
"It's my word against his/hers, can I really be convicted of a sex offense?"
Unfortunately, yes. Before the advent of DNA and advancement of medical examinations, people were often convicted on the strength of a witness’s statement alone - that can still occur. Though one would hope mere words are not “proof beyond a reasonable doubt”, the lack of additional evidence does not mean you will not be charged and police will not aggressively question you in an attempt to create more evidence.
"Does it matter that I didn't know he/she was underage?”
No. In Ohio, there is no “knowing” requirement of an alleged victim’s age - such offenses are called “strict liability offenses”. It is important to both have clear unambiguous consent and knowledge of your partner’s age before engaging in sexual activity. The age of consent in Ohio is 16 years old, but there are also laws against sexual conduct with anyone under 18 years of age if you are in an apparent position of authority (teacher, coach, sitter, instructor, etc.) over that person when the conduct occurred.
“What can YOU do for me?”
Each situation is unique but ethically, lawyers cannot and should not make claims about themselves such as being “the best” or promise certain results. The best practices for mounting a skilled defense include: intimate knowledge of the local courts and participants; a thorough confidential client interview; obtaining all case discovery including security videos, 9-1-1 audio recordings, fingerprint and DNA analysis, interviewing any witnesses, hiring skilled expert witnesses, preparing a client for the courtroom, and the ability to present a case in court in pretrial motion hearings and at trial.