BURLINGTON, Ky. — The 18-year-old accused of violently raping a woman Sunday was previously registered as juvenile sex offender for another rape authorities said he committed just weeks before his 18th birthday.
Jacob Walter is currently being held in the Boone County Jail on one charge of rape and two of sodomy after deputies said he repeatedly assaulted and choked an 18-year-old victim, ignoring her pleas to stop.
"Walter dismissed the victim by laughing at her and telling her that she would be fine," Sgt. Philip Ridgell wrote in a news release about the allegations.
The allegations are similar to those made against Walter after another incident back in May. That victim told investigators that Walter ignored her telling him to stop sexual intercourse. She later recorded a phone call in which he admitted to doing it despite her requests to stop, according to court records.
A judge ordered Walter to remain in community placement with the Department of Juvenile Justice for a maximum of three years after that case, according to court records.
Kentucky attorney Alex Lubans-Otto said she would be surprised if Walter's defense attorneys can successfully argue that Walter's prior record as a juvenile is inadmissible because of the similarities in both cases.
The victims in both incidents were taken to hospitals. A medical examination of the victim in the new case revealed bruises and multiple lacerations.
While corrective action through therapy is the goal in the case of a juvenile sex offender, the stakes are much higher if convicted of a sex crime as an adult, according to Lubans-Otto.
"Now what he's looking at is lifetime registration," she said. "This is about control, when they're an adult. It is about protecting society."
Walter is 7 feet tall and 300 pounds. He was at one point committed to play basketball for Xavier University, but he never materialized on the team or enrolled in classes there. He is the son of former Bengal Joe Walter.
Walter's next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 17. He's being held with bond set at $250,000.
