Gillard Found Guilty

After a week-long trial, a Muskingum County jury found 32-year-old Michael Gillard guilty of two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.

The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office said the offense was reported to police in June of 2020 after the teenage victim asked a friend to examine an injury suffered while trying to escape Gillard as he was sexually assaulting her.

Throughout the course of trial, Assistant Prosecutor Michael Hughes called eight witnesses to the stand, including the victim. The victim testified for over 2 hours. During her testimony, the young teen described how a ride on the defendant’s motorcycle turned into a violent sexual assault.

Gillard now faces 35-and-a-half years in prison and must register as a Tier III sex offender for life.