A former Ohio State running back didn’t accept a suspect plea deal and it paid off big time.
In 2017 Bri’onte Dunn was charged with two counts of rape but was found not guilty after the accuser admitted she lied in a recording. Dunn was facing a 33 year sentence if convicted.
As WBNS 10TV reports, Dunn and the accuser dated last year, and on the day they split she gave him a ride to his apartment. That’s where she claimed Dunn raped her but later admitted there was no forceable contact. Plus, on the stand, the woman said that she contacted Dunn up to 27 times after the alleged incident.
It then took the jury less than three hours to reach their verdict, but before their final deliberation the prosecutors offered Dunn a plea deal — a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault. But it’s something he immediately turned down.
“My client has categorically rejected that offer,” said Joe Landusky, Dunn’s attorney. “My client has told me, and I even asked him, ‘If they offer a minor misdemeanor disorderly conduct and suspended all fines and costs, would you take a deal?’ He says no and his reason for that is because he is an innocent man. He’s not just presumed innocent but actually innocent.”
“These are very difficult cases because rape is a horrible crime, a heinous crime,” he added. “It’s just something that he didn’t do … That’s why we have trials in this country. Thank God we live in America and we have our court system to make sure things stay fair.”
