Ohio Supreme Court declines Rausenberg’s appeal

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The Ohio Supreme Court decided Monday that it would not hear the appeal from a former teacher currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted of more than 40 felonies, including gross sexual imposition.

Former Olentangy Schools teacher Matthew Rausenberg, 42, formerly of Columbus, was sentenced to 106 years in prison by a Delaware County Common Pleas Court jury on Jan. 25, 2016 after he was found guilty of 34 counts of gross sexual imposition, which are third-degree felonies; four counts of kidnapping, first-degree felonies; and three counts of pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor, which are second-degree felonies.

Since the Jan. 28, 2016 sentencing, Rausenberg has been appealing the ruling of the court.

According to court records, the attorneys handling Rausenberg’s appeal argued to the Fifth-District Court of Appeals that the trial court erred several times during the case and argued that those errors led to Rausenberg’s conviction. Rausenberg’s attorneys argued that the evidence from his first interview with detectives from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office should have been excluded from trial because his Miranda rights were not read to him before the interview.

Rausenberg’s attorneys and prosecutors argued on the matter a hearing before the Fifth-District Court of Appeals on Jan. 17, 2017 and on March 23, 2017 the court issued a ruling against Rausenberg.

Court records state that Jeremy A. Roth and Ermel R. Luckett, the attorneys handling Rausenberg’s case, filed an appeal on May 5, 2017 with the Ohio Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn the ruling of the Fifth-District Court of Appeals.

First Assistant County Prosecutor Kyle Rohrer filed a response to the appeal with the Ohio Supreme Court on June 1 and requested the court dismiss the case.

“There are no substantial constitutional questions in Appellant’s propositions of law and none of the issues presented of public or great general interest,” Rohrer said.

Rohrer dismissed the argument that the evidence from the interview should be dismissed and said Rausenberg was interviewed in a neutral area and was told it was a voluntary interview.

On Tuesday, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor filed an entry stating the court had declined to accept jurisdiction in the case.

There had been no additional filings in Rausenberg’s case.

Rausenberg’s criminal trial began on Jan. 19, 2016 and, over the course of four days, prosecutors called 25 witnesses, including nine victims and many of their parents, to testify. The defense called only two witnesses.

Rausenberg did not testify in his own defense.

Many of Rausenberg’s victims and their family members testified that Rausenberg favored female students and gave them special treatment. The victims testified that Rausenberg would put them on his lap and have them read to him. Tthe victims also testified that he would rub their legs with his hands.

Prosecutors also showed a video that depicted Rausenberg touching a 7-year-old second-grader before making the girl rub the front of his pants. Rausenberg and members of the jury were visibly upset while the video was shown.

He resigned his teaching job at Arrowhead Elementary School after his March 2015 arrest.

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http://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2018/01/web1_rausenberg-prison.jpgRausenberg

By Glenn Battishill

[email protected]

Contact Glenn Battishill at 740-413-0903. Follow him on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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