Experienced Columbus Sex Crime Lawyers
Strong advocacy for Central Ohio residents charged with sex crimes
Sex offenses in Ohio can have a serious and long-lasting impact on your personal and professional life. Along with the stigma attached to being charged with a sex crime, a conviction can result in mandatory, lengthy prison time and lifelong registration as a sex offender.
If you are charged with rape, gross sexual imposition, importuning, or any sex crime in Ohio, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney who knows Ohio sexual offense law. The Columbus attorneys at Soroka & Associates, LLC know how to challenge witness statements and forensic evidence, get to the bottom of possible consent issues, inspect and challenge warrants, and present the best possible defense to these charges.
What types of sex crimes do your Columbus lawyers handle?
The attorneys of Soroka & Associates are skilled criminal defense attorneys and have extensive experience defending a wide range of sexual crimes, as set forth in Section 2907 of the Ohio statutes. Sex crimes generally refer to different types of illegal sex acts. We represent defendants charged with any sex crimes including:
- Rape. This crime generally involves illegal sexual contact – by force, by means of a substance that impairs someone’s judgment, when the victim can’t resist, or when the victim is under 13.
- Sexual battery. This crime involves sexual contact, with someone other than a spouse when the offender knows the other person’s judgment is substantially impaired; the other person is unaware the act is being committed; the offender is a natural parent/adoptive parent/stepparent, or guardian of the other person; and in other specific circumstances.
- Unlawful sex with a minor. This crime occurs when the offender is 18 or older and knows that the other person is between 13 and 15.
- Gross sexual imposition. This offense involves sexually contacting another person (not the offender’s spouse) by the use of force or threats, supplying a substance/intoxicant to impair the other person’s judgment, the other person cannot resist, or the other person is less than 13 years of age.
Other sex crimes include:
- Sexual imposition
- Importuning
- Voyeurism
- Public indecency
- Prostitution
- Pandering
- Soliciting
- Child pornography
- Other sex crimes listed in the Ohio statutes
What are the penalties for sex crimes in Columbus?
When charged with a sex crime, time is truly of the essence. In the state of Ohio, sex crimes carry serious penalties, and in certain cases can lead to life sentences. The penalties differ depending on whether the offense is a misdemeanor or a felony, and the degree of the misdemeanor or felony.
Generally, sex crimes are categorized as follows:
- Rape is a first-degree felony
- Sexual battery on someone who is under 13 is a second-degree felony
- Sexual battery is a third-degree felony
- Importuning is a third-degree felony
- Gross sexual imposition is a fourth-degree felony
- Unlawful sexual contact with a minor is a fourth-degree felony
Many people convicted of a sex crime or who plead guilty to a sex crime must register as a sex offender.
Will I have to register as a sex offender in Ohio?
Anyone who must register as a sex offender must provide identifying information to the sheriff where they live within three days of establishing residency. If they work or attend school in a county, they must notify the county sheriff immediately.
Our Columbus sex crime lawyers will explain which sex crimes require an offender to register. Sex offender crimes are categorized by tiers.
- Tier I offenders must register yearly for 15 years. Tier I offenses include importuning, sexual imposition, voyeurism, pandering obscenity, and promoting prostitution.
- Tier II offenders must register every 180 days for 25 years. Tier II offenses include compelling prostitution, pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, and pandering obscenity involving a minor.
- Tier III offenders must register every 90 days for life. Tier III offenses include rape, gross sexual imposition, and sexual battery.
A sex offender designation makes the development of relationships with other people and communities very difficult. Offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school or a day-care center.
How can your Columbus sex crime defense attorneys help?
At Soroka & Associates, we assert your Constitutional, legal, and factual defenses. We work aggressively to have the charges dismissed and to suppress any evidence that was illegally obtained. We recognize that even though defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, once you’re sitting in a courtroom and jurors are looking at you, you have a practical burden if you are charged with a sex crime that jurors will think you must have done something wrong – even when you didn’t.
Many sex crime cases, for example, involve false allegations. False accusations occur for many reasons:
- An accuser may be seeking revenge for a relationship that went sour.
- An accuser may not want others to know they engaged in sexual intercourse so they create a false story.
- An accuser may have mistakenly chosen you because you look like someone else.
Another defense is that the relationship between the defendant and the other person was consensual.
Other defenses include arguing that you were pressured to incriminate yourself in violation of your Fifth Amendment right or that your right to question the witnesses against you was violated.
Our Columbus sex crime lawyers also work to help sex crime defendants in the following ways:
- Helping to ensure that any police lineups are conducted fairly.
- Representing you at any police interviews.
- Helping you respond to the press, social media, and anyone or any entity interested in the charges.
- Speaking with all witnesses about what happened.
- Reviewing any medical records about the alleged offense.
- Using our negotiation skills to try to negotiate with the prosecutor
- Working to obtain fair jurors who won’t prejudge you.
- Arguing your case before a jury.
- Arguing valid appeal motions.
Do you have a sex crime defense lawyer near me?
If you’ve been charged with any type of sex crime, you need to speak with an experienced criminal defense lawyer quickly and in confidence. Our Columbus office is conveniently located at 503 South Front Street, Suite 205. Please call us if you have any questions about directions. At Soroka & Associates, we also meet with clients in custody when necessary.
Speak with an experienced Columbus sex crime defense lawyer now
At Soroka & Associates our lawyers understand you are facing criminal charges and you are afraid. Your liberty and reputation are at stake. When you are facing sex crime charges, don’t take chances. Take control. Contact us at 614-358-6525 or fill out our contact form as soon as possible to begin protecting your rights. We work relentlessly to provide the strongest defenses possible. We aim for dismissals and acquittals. With your consent, we negotiate plea bargains. We serve clients in Columbus and throughout Central Ohio, including in Licking County, Delaware County, Fairfield County, and beyond.