GUILTY OH - TH, 7, found alive, went missing overnight, Kenton, 10 Nov 2021 *POI Arrested*

KENTON, Ohio (WCMH) — The man accused of kidnapping a 7-year-old last week in Hardin County has entered a not guilty plea in court.

Charles E. Castle’s lawyer, Elizabeth H. Smith, filed the written plea on Wednesday by fax. The demand for discovery also filed by Castle’s attorney requests copies of all recordings from all cameras in the vicinity of the alleged incident, as well as witness statements and police reports.
Castle pleads not guilty in TH kidnapping | NBC4 WCMH-TV
 
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KENTON, Ohio — The basement was dark and littered with trash. And many who decided to see it for themselves had to be helped down the rickety staircase.

It was one of the stops on the jury view, which is essentially a field trip, for the men and women selected to sit on the jury in the trial of Charles Castle.

The 57-year-old is facing 17 charges, including kidnapping, rape and attempted aggravated murder. He’s accused of taking a 7-year-old girl from her home last November.

The kidnapping sparked a massive search. According to court documents, the parents of the little girl sent her to bed around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.

The next morning, just after 9 a.m., her mother called 911 to report she could not find her daughter. Authorities launched a search to find the girl that lasted into the next day.

But, by late Friday night, a tip given to a local school resource officer had led officials to an abandoned house on County Road 180, where they found the girl alive.

Castle was later indicted in connection with the crime. He has since pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He has been declared competent to stand trial.

And that trial started Monday morning with jury selection. By early afternoon, eight women and seven men had been selected to serve on the jury of 12, with three alternates available.

The first order of business was a jury view, which is essentially a field trip. The first stop was the little girl’s home, where court documents show she was taken in the middle of the night. Jurors also saw a nearby home, where security cameras captured video that will be mentioned during the trial.

Next, the jurors rode in white vans to the abandoned home, roughly eight miles away, where the little girl was found in a dark basement. The jurors were allowed to walk down to the basement, one by one, to see the scene for themselves.

The final stop was a visit to see the Castle’s RV, where he lived just a few blocks away from the victims, home, and his minivan.
Jurors were then released for the day to return Tuesday morning for opening arguments.
 

from the article:

Bailey argued Castle, then a friend of the little girl’s father, took her from her home in the middle of the night, raped her, then tried to hide her when her parents came looking for her.

[UBM]


does this mean they went looking there before they called the police???
 
In his opening, Prosecutor Brad Bailey stated that November 10, 2021, when the 7 year old girl was taken from her home, was Castle’s birthday.

Bailey theorized that Castle was going to “give himself a present.”

That, said Bailey, was why he went to her home at 602 South Leighton Street where he allegedly got her into his van and drove off.

Bailey said evidence will show that the little girl was sexually molested which he said will be backed up with DNA evidence.
 
From July 2022:

Charles Castle was sentenced to 10 years to life plus 35 years in prison, a week after he was found guilty on 16 charges against him. He will also have to register as a tier 3 sex offender if released.

 
From July 2022:

Charles Castle was sentenced to 10 years to life plus 35 years in prison, a week after he was found guilty on 16 charges against him. He will also have to register as a tier 3 sex offender if released.

Ughhh hope he never makes it out of jail
 

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