Guilty verdict in rape case

A Curtice area man has been found guilty of 10 counts of rape in Ottawa County Common Pleas Court.
A jury found James D. Alliman, 44, guilty of rape, a first degree felony.
He had been indicted in February 2020 on charges of engaging in sexual conduct with the two female victims who were less than 13 and 10 years old at the time.
The assaults began in September 2010, according to the indictment, and continued until September 2016.
Seven counts include penalties of up to life imprisonment while the two counts involving the 10-year-old carry a sentence of up to life without parole.
In April, the prosecutor’s office filed a motion to allow the victims to have a trained comfort dog accompany them to the witness stand while they testified.
“One of the victims is still a juvenile and the other victim just turned 20. And both of the victims have been profoundly affected by the defendant’s crimes, and they will likely struggle with the after-effects of those crimes for decades to come,” the motion says, noting the victims met the dog during trial preparation and asked that the dog be present during their testimony.