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Opening statements in child sex abuse case in Trumbull County
Prosecutors said the abuse began when the family member was just seven years old, the defense argued there is no solid evidence to prove that claim.
Opening statements began in the trial of 75-year-old Dan McFadden, a Ravenna man accused of 17 counts of raping a young family member.
The indictment states that McFadden's alleged crimes began in 2017 and lasted until May of 2025.
The alleged victim in this case was between the ages of five and 12 years old over the course of these alleged crimes. Prosecutors told the jurors that the evidence will demonstrate a pattern of abuse that persisted for several years.
"Wherever, whenever. Sometimes in the car, sometimes in the den, sometimes when mom and dad would go out for a date night and he'd be babysitting, " prosecutors said.
The defense argued that prosecutors cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McFadden is guilty of more than three dozen child sex abuse charges.
"What you're not going to see in this case, you're not going to see DNA, right? You're not going to see videos of something happening. You're not going to see text message or admissions saying, 'Hey, this happened', " the defense told jurors.
McFadden was indicted on a total of 28 charges, including 17 counts of rape, eight third-degree felony counts of gross sexual imposition, and three counts of fourth-degree gross sexual imposition.
The trial will resume Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
