Gerry SimmonsPhoto: Summit County Prosecutor's Office
(Cleveland, OH - Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced, on Wednesday, that Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly McLaughlin sentenced 40-year-old Gerry Simmons, of Callis Drive in Akron, to 20 years in prison for rape.
On October 3, 2021, Simmons pled guilty to two counts of rape, first degree felonies.
The prosecution of Mr. Simmons was conducted as part of the Akron Police Department’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). In 2007, the survivor was sexually assaulted and went to the hospital where a sexual assault kit was collected. At the time, the investigation did not lead to a suspect. The sexual assault kit was tested in 2015 and DNA collected matched Gerry Simmons.
Simmons is currently serving a prison sentence for felonious assault. He will begin serving his 20 year sentence for rape following completion of his current prison sentence.
“I am proud of the survivor, who showed tremendous strength after nearly 14 years of waiting. I want to thank my assistant prosecutors and the entire SAKI team for their continued fight to bring justice to these survivors and their families,” said Prosecutor Walsh.
(Copyright, iHeartMedia, 2021)
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