Testimony began Tuesday in Allen County Common Pleas Court in the jury trial of Rebekah Shaw, charged with the aggravated possession of drugs.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A jury trial got underway Tuesday in Allen County Common Pleas Court for a Lima woman charged with the aggravated possession of drugs, even though her attorney claims the drugs in question were never legally in her possession.
Defense attorney Chima Ekeh, in his opening remarks to jurors in the trial of Rebekah Shaw, said prosecutors will be unable to prove behind a reasonable doubt that the drugs at the center of the state’s case belonged at any point to his client.
Court documents show that Lima police were dispatched on Aug. 28, 2021, to the 1300 block of Brice Avenue in reference to a reported assault. Upon their arrival officers identified Timothy Perkins as the victim of the assault. He was found leaving the area and was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries, then was then placed under arrest based on an initial allegation of sexual assault that proved to be invalid.
While being questioned by police, Perkins reportedly asked officers, “Did you find the drugs?” He then made an unsolicited statement about drugs being in a bag near where he was taken into custody, court documents show. A bag containing approximately 25 grams of methamphetamine was located where Perkins told police it would be.
Perkins was the state’s first witness on Tuesday and admitted stealing an ounce of meth from Shaw while he was she was sleeping. He described himself to jurors as a homeless drug addict at the time who was selling drugs for Shaw in exchange for sleeping in her detached garage.
Now two years sober, Perkins said that on that August morning in 2021 he stole methamphetamine from Shaw’s purse. He testified that several hours later he received a text from the defendant that stated, “You are dead.”
After roaming the streets of Lima for several hours Perkins said he arranged a potential sale of the meth. The man in question picked Perkins up but instead of taking him to an arranged location he instead took Perkins to Shaw’s driveway. Perkins told jurors that once at that location Shaw and several others came out of the house and began to assault him.
When police arrived “everyone took off running,” Perkins testified. As he ran he pulled the bag of meth from his underwear and tossed it under a bush. When officers took him into custody “I ended up telling them that I took the dope from Rebekah,” he told jurors.
Perkins was charged with the aggravated possession of drugs.
Under cross-examination by Ekeh, Perkins was asked if prosecutors had promised him “anything special” in exchange for his testimony at trial. He denied receiving any special treatment.
But under further questioning, Perkins admitted cooperating with police by giving them the names of several individuals who were selling drugs in Lima at the time.
“So you were willing to throw five people and the defendant under the bus to clear your name?” asked Ekeh.
“Kinda,” Perkins replied.
Perkins admitted, under re-direct examination by Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Thines, that prosecutors said they would take his honest testimony at trial into consideration in his case.
Testimony in the trial of Shaw, 42, will resume Wednesday morning.
