Newark man convicted of sexually abusing child for seven years

NEWARK, Ohio (WMCH) -- A 32-year-old Newark man was found guilty Thursday of sexually abusing a child over the course of around seven years.

After a two-day trial culminated in a conviction, Licking County Judge Thomas Marcelain sentenced Jack E. Scott, Jr. to life in prison without parole for raping a girl -- now 13 years old -- since she was as young as 6, according to a release from county prosecutor Jenny Wells.

On Nov. 7, 2022, the Newark Division of Police launched an investigation after the victim and another person disclosed to officers the ongoing sexual abuse and death threats she received -- including that morning -- from Scott, Wells said.

Among the trial's four witnesses was the victim herself, who testified to the jury about the repeated incidents of assault she endured since early childhood.

Scott was convicted of nine felony counts of rape, two felony counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and four felony counts of gross sexual imposition, according to the Licking County Court of Common Pleas.