Man arrested in connection to rape at Hilliard hotel
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Hilliard man accused of a January rape in Hilliard was arrested Monday and was in court Tuesday morning.
According to Franklin County Municipal Court records, an individual reported that a sexual assault occurred at a hotel room located on Park Mill Run Drive in Hilliard. The alleged incident took place on Jan. 2, when the victim and 37-year-old Sterling Bonnell were discussing smoking marijuana.
The victim told police that the two of them hung out for a while before the victim fell asleep on the bed. The victim reported that the last thing they remembered was telling Bonnell where the vending machines were located.
Hilliard police reported that when the victim woke up the next morning, they realized they had been sexually assaulted and that $100 was missing from their bag.
Video surveillance from the hotel shows Bonnell entering the exiting the room on several occasions and DNA evidence from a sexual assault kit linked Bonnell to the incident. Police said multiple attempts to interview Bonnell were unsuccessful after he reportedly never returned any phone calls.
Bonnell is charged with rape of a victim with a mental or physical condition, whose ability to resist or consent was subrationally impaired. An arrest warrant was issued on May 7 and he was arrested Monday.
A Franklin County Municipal judge issued him a $250,000 bond and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Oct. 17.