No rape charge in case of Monroe man found naked, bloody, with knife

A Lebanon man held for more than a month on a rape charge stemming from allegations he sexually assaulted a man found naked, bloody and holding a knife now is scheduled for arraignment on lesser charges on Wednesday.

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John D. Handley remained in the Warren County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond set after he previously was charged in Lebanon Municipal Court in August with rape, as well as possession of drugs, heroin and paraphernalia.

Tuesday morning, Handley, 31, of Lebanon, was served with a warrant advising him he had been indicted on charges of aggravated possession of drugs, and possession of heroin, both fifth-degree felonies; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, according to court records.

Lebanon police said they worked for the past two months to build a sexual assault case against Handley stemming from the July incident that resulted in his arrest and other allegations. Police took the case to the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, but the sex charges did not move forward.

In an email, Sgt. Matt Weithofer of the Lebanon Police Department referred questions about the decision to the prosecutor.

“I have no additional information on why he was not indicted on the charge, and I would recommend you follow up with them for more information on the matter,” Weithofer added.

Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said the entire case was presented to the grand jury and that he assumed jurors did not find sufficient evidence for any sex charge.

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Handley is scheduled for arraignment at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Warren County Common Pleas Court.

He was arrested on Aug. 20 at Trader’s World in Monroe and accused of raping a Monroe man after they used drugs together in July.

The alleged victim, 21, was found “with several injuries” at a downtown restaurant and taken to Atrium Medical Center for treatment, according to police reports.

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He told police he stabbed Handley during a rape and escaped Handley’s apartment, where he had been held for several days, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Handley’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

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