XENIA — The jury trial for two Fairborn men accused of sex crimes against a juvenile began March 6 in Greene County Common Pleas Court.
Chance Putnam, now 22, and Tahryn “T.J.” Bailey, now 19, were each charged with two counts of rape, a first degree felony, and two counts of sexual battery, a third degree felony. Putnam was additionally charged with one count of attempted rape, a second degree felony. The charges came after a sexual assault was reported to the Fairborn Police Department April 2016. The pair were arrested in August, according to police.
After a jury was selected and sworn-in, Assistant Prosecutor Cheri Stout made opening statements for the state’s case.
“This case is about the trust that [victim’s name] had in her friend T.J. Bailey. And how that trust was ruined by the acts that took place. How that trust was betrayed by the acts that took place by T.J. Bailey and Chance Putnam,” Stout said.
Stout then set the scene for the night of April 8, 2016: A basement, a birthday party fueled by alcohol, a small group of friends — all males — and one female.
“That night something went terribly wrong,” Stout said.
As the sequence of events unfolds, Putnam, Bailey and two others allegedly repeatedly rape and sexually assault the female.
“The person that she trusted most to protect her when she was drunk was doing this to her, without her consent, without her ability to consent, without her ability to resist,” Stout said.
The 17-year-old victim took the stand in open court, testifying to the account and identifying the two defendants in the courtroom.
She said that following the assault, after speaking with Fairborn police officers, she went to Soin Medical Center where she was examined by a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE).
The first day of the trial ended as Christopher Fogt, Putnam’s attorney, and Adrian King, Bailey’s attorney, cross-examined the victim.
Testimony will continue 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 7 in front of Judge Stephen Wolaver.
