“I think they (the victim’s family) are relieved the matter has been resolved to their satisfaction and they can move on with their life,” Smith said.
Clunie was indicted on six counts of rape and one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. The plea deal dropped all the charges except for one rape charge.
If found guilty of that charge by a jury, Clunie could have faced life in prison with no option of parole for 15 years. He will have the possibility of parole in five less years as a result of the plea deal.
Smith said the family is glad Clunie will be behind bars for at least 10 years.
Prosecutors wanted him to serve at least 10 years before he would have the possibility of parole. “He needed to show to the parole board he could be released,” said Smith.
Clunie was booked into the Clark County Jail on May 22, more than a week after a warrant was placed for his arrest on May 14.
In April, Clunie was accused of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old boy he knew and also showing the child pornographic videos. During the investigation into the allegations, DNA from Clunie’s saliva was found on evidence collected by police and examined by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations, according to court documents.
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