News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Woman Convicted at Jury Trial of Sexual Battery Sentenced to only 24 Months in Prison

Zanesville, OH - In May of this year married couple Ashton and Wesley Stotts elected for separate jury trials where they both faced charges of rape, gross sexual imposition, and sexual battery. The jury trial for Wesley Stotts returned not guilty verdicts while Ashton Stotts’s trial returned those of guilty.

As Ashton Stotts aided Wesley Stotts and she was not the primary offender, the State dismissed the Rape and Gross Sexual Imposition charges prior to trial proceeding with the three counts of Sexual Battery.

On May 27, 2025, Ashton Stotts, following a jury trial, was found guilty of three counts of sexual battery.

Sentencing and Conviction Details:

On July 28, 2025, Ashton Stotts appeared before Judge Kelly Cottrill in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas to receive sentencing for her involvement in the sexual assault.

During sentencing, it was found that the three separate charges of sexual battery do not merge. That means that each individual act of sexual battery can be sentenced independently for up to 5 years each. The state along with the victim, who was present in court, requested the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison be imposed.

All three counts of Sexual Battery that Ashton Stotts was convicted of were ordered by Judge Cottrill to be served concurrently, meaning the 24-month sentence for each of the three separate crimes will all overlap at the same time, resulting in a total prison sentence of 24 months.

Additionally, Judge Cottrill ordered that Ashton Stotts register as a tier 3 sex offender. As a tier 3 sex offender she must register every 90 days for the remainder of her life.

The victim in the case expressed disappointment with the outcome stating “I am extremely insulted by the sentence in this case. I would never wish this on anyone. I want to thank Assistant Prosecutor Michael Hughes and the victim advocate, Ms. Tignor, for their tremendous support and hard work for the past 16 months. They have spent hours on my case. Also, I want to thank the jurors that believed me.”

The three (3) Sexual Battery charges stem from Ashton Stotts and her husband Wesley, sexually assaulting a victim who, due to being substantially impaired, was unable to provide consent at the time of the incident.

The following is the legal explanation for how Ashton Stotts could be found guilty when her husband, who also participated in the sexual assault, was found not guilty.

Ashton Stotts, at the time of the indictment, was not charged as the primary offender in this case. Rather, she was classified as the aider and abettor. Under Ohio Law, Ashton Stotts can be charged the same as the primary offender, which is why the indictment included her in the primary charges with Wesley Stotts.

As a married couple, and co-defendants in the case, Wesley and Ashton Stotts had the option to be tried together in a jury trial. The couple ultimately elected to not be tried together, resulting in separate jury trials.

As Ashton Stotts was not the primary offender, the prosecutor’s office, with our duty to seek justice, dismissed the primary charges of Rape and Gross Sexual Imposition leaving only the Sexual Battery charge on three separate counts.

At her sentencing, the defendant’s defense attorney urged the Judge to impose probation, known as community control, rather than a prison sentence.

Prosecutor Ron Welch stated “After being convicted by a jury on 3 counts of sexual battery our office asked for a maximum sentence of 15 years. For a defendant to only receive two years after failing to take any responsibility is disappointing.”

Prosecutor Welch added “It is difficult for victims to come forward and face the unfair stigma associated with being a sexual assault survivor. We understand the frustration of the victim in this case but hope that doesn’t impact other victims’ decisions to report and prosecute sex offenders in the future. Our office will continue to seek the best possible outcomes for victims in these cases.”

Further details on the case can be read in our initial release:

https://www.muskingumprosecutor.org/News-Events/Married-Couple-Elect-For-Separate-Jury-Trials-On-Sexual-Assault-Charges-Wife-Found-Guilty-Of-Sexual-Battery/267/

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