Xenia teacher facing rape charge for incident outside swim bar at lake

Update@4:10 p.m.:  Brandon Murray is an employee of Xenia Community Schools, although he teaches at the Miami Valley Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, Superintendent Gabriel Lofton said. He added that Murray was placed on an indefinite leave of absence on Oct. 9.

Lofton declined to comment any further.

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Update@1:30 p.m.:

The alleged victim is a 25-year-old woman who is an acquaintance of Murray and his wife, police said.

In June, Murray, his wife and the victim traveled to Logan County with a group of people and they all were drinking at  Froggy’s swim-up bar, police said. At the end of the night, the victim was “extremely intoxicated,” and was sitting in a vehicle with Murray and his wife waiting for the rest of their group and the designated driver.

Murray’s wife was passed out at the time, and that’s when he allegedly raped the victim, police said.

There was a 10-minute window between the time the alleged sexual assault occurred and the group’s return to the car, police said.

Murray is a teacher at the Miami Valley Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Xenia. According to the Ohio Department of Education, he currently has a license to teach in Xenia.

His Facebook profile says he’s also a teacher at Xenia Community Schools. We’ve called the school district to confirm that information, but they’ve yet to respond.

First report:

A 34-year-old man from the New Carlisle area is facing a rape charge in Logan County.

Brandon Murray is being held in the Logan County Jail on suspicion of rape and gross sexual imposition since his arrest on Tuesday.

Murray allegedly fondled and sexually assaulted a woman who was sitting in a vehicle outside Froggy’s swim-up bar by Indian Lake, according to the statement of facts on file with the Bellefontaine Municipal Court.

The alleged incident happened in June. The alleged victim reported it to authorities a little more than a month later.

Murray denied the allegations and told investigators the interaction with the woman was consensual, according to the statement of facts.

Murray is being held on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16.

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Murray is a Tecumseh High School graduate and played football at Wittenberg University, lettering in 2004 and 2005, according to the school’s website.

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