Ohio legislation would extend rape cases’ statute of limitations

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s 20-year statute of limitations for prosecuting rape cases could be extended under legislation in the House and Senate.

The bills, which also would cover sexual battery, provide a five-year extension for prosecution once a DNA match is found.

The legislation comes as the attorney general’s office continues to plow through a backlog of untested rape kits, with numerous cases of DNA matches in a criminal database. The extension is being sought as some of the old rape kits being tested near the 20-year limit.

“This legislation would allow our victims to seek the justice they deserve,” state Sen. Jim Hughes, a Columbus Republican and bill co-sponsor, testified last week.