A 12-year-old Lakewood Middle School student told a school counselor that a family member had been sexually abusing them for several years, setting off an investigation that ended with felony rape charges against a 38-year-old Reynoldsburg man. The child said the alleged abuse happened repeatedly at their grandparents’ home on Priestly Drive, where they shared a basement bedroom with the family member.
According to abc6onyourside.com, the counselor at Lakewood Middle School contacted the Licking County Sheriff’s Office after hearing the student’s account. Investigators identified the suspect as Kenneth Howington, 38, and police reports indicate the alleged abuse began around five years ago.
Child Described Years of Alleged Abuse in Basement Bedroom
Investigators said the child shared a basement bedroom with Howington at the grandparents’ home, where the alleged abuse reportedly took place over an extended period. During a forensic interview at Kid’s Place, the child disclosed sharing a bed with Howington, and described multiple alleged incidents in which he touched them and forced them to touch him, according to the seed facts in the case.
The child told investigators that the most recent alleged incident occurred on October 17. The same account says the child had confided in their mother about the abuse before that, and that the mother encouraged the child to tell her if anything happened again. The sheriff’s office report cited by the same outlet does not detail what prompted the child to come forward to the school counselor rather than another adult.
Suspect Now Facing Felony Rape Charges
Howington has been arrested and is facing felony rape charges.
The case was also covered by WKRC, which reported the same core details of the child’s disclosure and the charges against Howington. Under Ohio law, when a peace officer receives a report of possible child abuse, the officer is generally required to refer it to the appropriate public children services agency, unless an arrest made at the time of the report results in the agency being contacted about the abuse, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
No plea, court hearing, or response from Howington has been reported, and it remains unclear whether child protective services has become formally involved in the case. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available.
