Judge orders CBC sanctions, jail time in Sproull case

Mitigating circumstances led to a spirited debate over the sentence of Charles E. Sproull Jr. in Harrison County Court of Common Pleas Tuesday, March 24.

Sproull, who initially faced a first-degree felony rape charge, previously negotiated the charge down to aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, and pleaded guilty. His sentence, however, had not been settled, prompting arguments from both the prosecution and defense.

Assistant Prosecutor Lauren Knight argued first, saying Sproull had shown no remorse for the offense, which involved a woman he was living with at the time. She said the offense was appropriate for a prison term under statute and that the victim had suffered psychological harm.

“She has self-reported psychological harm from this. In addition, she’s had some physical ailments that likely have been exacerbated by the stress of this,” Knight said.

Knight said the relationship between the two “allowed this to happen.” She also said that during his interview with the community corrections office, Sproull showed no remorse. She noted he had a prior domestic violence conviction, which made him eligible for incarceration. Knight argued that imposing no definite prison term would diminish the seriousness of the offense and fail to protect the public.

An Ohio Risk Assessment found Sproull to be a moderate risk for recidivism and assigned him a moderate level of supervision.

Defense attorney Steven A. Stickles argued that the reduction in charges reflected the circumstances of the case. He questioned the victim’s level of participation, saying she did not appear in court and, at that point, had not submitted a victim impact statement. Knight later reminded the court that the victim had filed a statement in December 2024.

Stickles acknowledged Sproull’s prior domestic violence conviction but said it occurred 13 years ago. He argued that his client’s failure to apologize or show emotion should not be interpreted as a factor in recidivism.

“I don’t think in this case, when you go from a rape all the way down to where we’re at, my client not doing or saying certain key words doesn’t show recidivism,” Stickles said.

“It’s not going to happen,” he said of Sproull committing another offense against the victim, noting the two are no longer together.

Stickles said Sproull had remained employed throughout the case and argued that community-based correctional facility sanctions would be appropriate. He said Sproull did not pose a risk to the public or to the victim.

Judge T. Shawn Hervey said he struggled with the sentencing decision and did not decide on prison time until shortly before announcing the sentence.

Hervey sentenced Sproull to four years of community-based correctional sanctions, plus six months at Eastern Ohio Correction Center. He also ordered Sproull to undergo “some kind of sex offender evaluation because there’s some things in the report that cause me concern.”

“It’s not your typical assault case,” Hervey said. He later added that if it had been a “foolproof” case, the prosecution would have pursued it to the full extent of the law.