Man charged with rape pleads guilty to weapons charge

A Highland County man who was indicted in March on charges of rape with a firearm specification pleaded guilty to a charge of having weapons under disability. 

On June 16 in Highland County Common Pleas Court, Matthew Dapper,  31, pleaded guilty to the third-degree felony charge. As a result of the plea agreement, a charge of rape, a felony of the first degree; the gun specification; and a charge of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree, were dismissed.  

Dapper was represented by attorney David Pence. The state was represented by David Henry of the Highland County Prosecutor's Office. 

Following the guilty plea, Dapper was sentenced by Highland County Common Pleas Court Judge Rocky Coss to two years in prison. The sentence will be served concurrently to a sentence Dapper is already serving in a separate case out of Clinton County. He was given zero days of jail time credit. 

The indictment had alleged that in May 2009 Dapper "Did engage in sexual conduct ... and compelled (the alleged victim) to submit by force or threat of force ... and displayed the firearm, brandished the firearm, indicted that he possessed the firearm or used it to facilitate the offense."

According to the indictment, Dapper was not permitted to have a firearm in his possession, as he had not been released from disability from a felony offense of domestic violence, a felony of the fourth degree.