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	Convict's Appeals Ignite New Charges By Josh Jarman Columbus Dispatch October 1, 2011 http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/01/convicts-appeals-ignite-new-charges.html A Licking County man who has long fought his 2005 conviction for sexually abusing two teenage sisters has now been indicted on perjury charges related to his numerous appeals. Lonnie J. Aleshire Jr., 41, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2005 by former Licking County Common Pleas Judge Jon. R. Spahr after pleading guilty to one count of rape, six counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and three misdemeanor counts of sexual imposition. His victims, sisters who attended the Hebron-area church where Aleshire's father was a senior pastor, were 15 and 17 at the time of his trial. The girls were members of a youth ministry overseen by the younger Ale- shire, and several of the charges stem from sexual conduct that occurred at the Licking Baptist Church. Aleshire has continuously attempted to have his conviction overturned since his trial, filing at least 11 appeals while in prison, including three this year. He almost was granted a new trial in 2007 after the Ohio Supreme Court sent Aleshire's case back to the trial court after finding for a defendant in a separate case. Licking County Prosecutor Ken Oswalt argued that the two cases were fundamentally different, and the Supreme Court agreed to have the case remanded to the 5th District Court of Appeals instead of being retried in Common Pleas Court. The appeals court then ruled that Alshire's case was without merit. Oswalt said the three felony perjury charges contained in an indictment filed yesterday stem from statements Aleshire made during his appeals that conflict with those he made at trial. In an affidavit filed with his most-recent appeal, Aleshire writes, "I did not commit the crimes for which I stand convicted," and he blamed his choice to plead guilty on the advice of his attorney. But transcripts from his 2005 trial show that, when he was questioned under oath by the judge, Aleshire testified that he was pleading guilty because he was guilty of the crimes. Oswalt said prosecutors don't have to prove which of the statements is true, only that they can't both be correct. He said Ale- shire, who has represented himself in all his appeals, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of all charges. Aleshire is scheduled to be released from the Chillicothe Correctional Institution on Jan. 24. Contact: jjarman@dispatch.com
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