Appeals pending for Ohio man freed after 20 years

COLUMBUS (AP) — Prosecution and defense attorneys want a federal court in Cincinnati to hold off on one appeal while another plays out in the case of an Ohio inmate freed late last year on a judge’s order after 20 years in prison.

The request was filed Wednesday for Roger Dean Gillispie, who was convicted of rape and other charges in 1991. A judge ordered him freed on supervised release while prosecutors appeal the judge’s finding that Gillispie didn’t get a fair trial.

A state appeals court decided last week that Gillispie should get another trial because of new evidence, and the Montgomery County prosecutor planned to appeal.

Ohio’s attorney general says both sides agree it’s best to hold the federal appeal while the Ohio Supreme Court deals with the state-level appeal.