Jurors in the trial of Rebekah Shaw, charged with the aggravated possession of drugs, deliberated for two hours Thursday before returning a guilty verdict against the Lima woman.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — Jurors in the trial of Lima resident Rebekah Shaw, tasked with sorting out contradictory testimony from two key witnesses, deliberated for approximately two hours Thursday before finding Shaw guilty of a second-degree felony count of aggravated possession of drugs.
Two events went directly to the heart of the state’s case against Shaw: the allegation from a former drug addict that he stole methamphetamines from Shaw’s purse in the early-morning hours of Aug. 28, 2021; and claims made by the defendant’s young daughter that the man who allegedly stole the drugs had attempted to sexually assault her that same morning — allegations that were disputed by more than one witness.
Jurors, after hearing from the defendant and her young daughter, chose to believe the version of events as presented by prosecutors.
Shaw, 42, showed no emotion as the verdict was read. She will be sentenced Aug. 3. Judge Terri Kohlrieser allowed the defendant to remain free on bond until that time, although she will be equipped with an ankle monitoring device and will be required to observe a curfew.
After prosecutors rested their case on Wednesday in Allen County Common Pleas Court, Shaw took the witness stand in her own defense Thursday morning. Through her testimony, Shaw told jurors that much of what they had heard earlier in the trial was nothing more than a series of lies. She emphatically denied the truthfulness of testimony from Timothy Perkins, who claimed Shaw was a dealer in methamphetamines and that she had used Perkins as a runner in drug deals. Shaw said marijuana, not meth, and more than $400 had been taken from her purse on the morning in question.
The Lima woman also rejected as false the allegation that she had instructed her now 11-year-old daughter to tell police Perkins had touched her inappropriately that morning. Shaw’s sister, Ashley Maag, testified on Wednesday that the young girl confided to her while at the hospital for a sexual assault exam that Shaw and her siblings pressured her into saying that Perkins touched her inappropriately. Maag said the young girl felt she “had to go along with the sex abuse claim or her mom would go to jail” on drug charges.
A caseworker with Allen County Children Services testified that she had overheard similar comments from the young girl.
Perkins testified on Tuesday that he stole 25 grams of methamphetamines from Shaw while she was sleeping on the morning of Aug. 28, 2021. He said that a few hours after he stole the drugs, he received a text from the defendant that stated, “You are dead.” Shaw also posted on Facebook a reward of $300 for anyone who brought Perkins to her residence.
During her testimony Thursday, Shaw maintained the reward was related to her daughter’s allegations of inappropriate sexual contact.
A video of an interview between Shaw and Det. Jesse Harrod at the Lima Police Department was played for jurors Wednesday afternoon in which the detective focused on text messages between Shaw and Timothy Perkins in the hours following the theft of the drugs.
“There were 10 texts back and forth between you and Tim, and there was not a single thing in there about the sexual assault of your daughter,” Harrod told Shaw during the interview. “I find that very concerning. The only thing you talked about with Tim Perkins was your dope.”
