After a 20-year-old Ohio woman shared two videos to Snapchat of her rape by her step-grandfather, police took 77-year-old James Allen of Marblehead, Ohio into custody.
Police were asked to make a welfare check on the 20-year-old woman
Buzzfeed reports that Danbury Township Police received a call at around 1 a.m. from a friend of the 20-year-old woman and who lives in Texas. He was concerned about her well-being, leading to a welfare check on Allen’s home where she reportedly resides.
Danbury Township Police Chief Michael S. Meisler said when officers arrived at the home, Allen came to the door and took the officers to a bedroom where they could see the woman was drunk, but otherwise seemed fine and uninjured.
The officers left the home believing nothing of a suspicious nature was occurring.
Police receive a second call to check on the woman
It turned out the friend in Texas had seen two videos posted by the woman to Snapchat, which clearly depicted her intoxication and Rape by the older man. The friend called the police a second time, explaining the situation and asking them to please check on the woman again. Officers then returned to the residence and took Allen into custody.
A man was arrested after his step-granddaughter recorded him allegedly raping her on Snapchat https://t.co/lPcGAEUYw5 pic.twitter.com/XcpureUTJy
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) August 9, 2017
Allen is being charged with the rape of his step-granddaughter after Danbury Township Police reviewed the videos posted by the woman to Snapchat, which clearly showed the sexual assault taking place in his home.
After reviewing the videos, Meisler said the friend had done the right thing in calling police as they showed Allen giving her alcohol. He said she was clearly impaired when Allen sexually assaulted her.
Unsure whether the woman intended to share the videos
While police say it is unclear whether the woman intended to share the videos to Snapchat, they say the footage will be very helpful in their investigation.
Meisler did say that Allen admitted he had sex with the victim and he is being charged with her rape.
As reported by the Toledo Blade, Ottawa County Prosecutor James VanEerten said the situation is “obviously horrific,” also saying it was obvious from the footage that the woman was impaired at the time of the rape. However, he added that the video evidence did allow them to put an end to a bad situation for the woman and to quickly make an arrest in the case. VanEerten is, however, urging the public to please stop sharing the videos on social media.
As of Wednesday Allen was being held on a $1 million bond at the Ottawa County jail.
