Man indicted on 27 sex crime charges in Clark County arrested by federal, state law enforcement

A man who was indicted on 27 sex crime charges, including several counts of rape, was arrested by federal law enforcement after a traffic stop in Clark County.

Joseph Norman Watts, 46, was arrested on March 9 at Interstate 70 and state Route 41 by the U.S. Marshals Service and Ohio State Highway Patrol after they initiated a traffic stop for outstanding warrants, according to court records.

Watts was arraigned in the Clark County Common Pleas Court on 27 different sex charges, including eight counts of rape, five counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of gross sexual imposition, court records show. He remains in the Clark County Jail with a $250,000 bond, according to jail records.

According to court records, these charges include rape by threat of force and of an impaired person, sexual battery, and gross sexual imposition by threat of force.

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Watts’ next court date has not yet been scheduled. He will be represented by Clark County Public Defender Rebekah Sinnott.

Additional details surrounding the incident is not known at this time.

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About the Author

Brooke Spurlock

Brooke Spurlock covers education, crime and more in Clark and Champaign counties as a reporter for the Springfield News-Sun. She has been a writer for over six years, which includes her previous work as a breaking news desk investigator. Spurlock has her bachelor's in mass communications with a minor in psychology and her associates in paralegal.