A Bellefontaine man accused of repeated sexual conduct with a victim under his custodial control was found guilty Thursday on two counts of sexual battery.
Eli Carter, 42, faces up to 10 years in prison if Logan County Common Pleas Court Judge Braig imposes the maximum five-year sanction for each of the third-degree felony charges.
A jury of nine women and three men heard testimony in the trial that Carter had repeated sexual encounters with the victim between 2007 and 2010, starting when she was 17 and under his custodial care.
Carter was a counselor with Adriel Schools at the time and served as a foster parent.
He was indicted in March 2021 on three charges of rape and three charges of sexual battery. The jury found him guilty on sexual battery charges for incidents that occurred when the victim was 18 and 19.
Logan County Prosecutor Eric Stewart said his office and the victim are pleased with the verdict, which provides some solace for the victim.
He said the victim’s persistence to seek justice was critical in pushing the case to trial.
The victim first filed allegations of the sexual assaults with the Bellefontaine Police Department in 2010 after she was enrolled in college. Investigative work on the case stagnated until she inquired about its status in 2017.
This reignited efforts in the case but there was no breakthrough until 2020, when detectives uncovered evidence corroborating her claims. The new evidence enabled Stewart’s office to present the case to a grand jury and proceed with this week’s trial.
After he was indicted, Carter resigned from his position as the long-time director of Union Station and as a varsity girls basketball coach at Calvary Christian Schools.
He is currently lodged in the Logan County Jail awaiting his sentencing set for 9 a.m. March 18.