Prosecutor: Child-rape case one of worst in Auglaize County history

WAPAKONETA - Daniel B. Spring showed no emotion. Even as he signed a plea deal that could potentially send him to prison for the rest of his life, the St. Marys man accused of raping three teenage girls sat silent and expressionless.

Originally indicted on 18 counts of rape, Spring, 50, ended up pleading guilty to six counts of rape during an appearance in Auglaize County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to pursue the indictments. The original 18 counts and the six counts Spring admitted to were just the tip of the iceberg, prosecutors said. Prosecutor Ed Pierce said there could have been "hundreds" of charges.

"This was hundreds of counts that had taken place over a minimum of a five-year period," Pierce said. "This is one of the worst offenders that this court has seen in this type of case based on the length of time, the number of victims, the number of occurrences."

Judge Frederick Pepple accepted Spring's pleas and found him guilty on all six counts. Pepple immediately sentenced Spring to nine years in prison on the first count of rape. Pepple will sentence Spring on the remaining five counts within the next few weeks.

Spring faces between nine and 60 years in prison.

Spring's attorney, Mark Weller, argued for the minimum sentence based on his client's age.

"If he got maximum sentences run consecutively on this case he couldn't get out until he's 111 years old," Weller said. "If the court gave him a minimum sentence on this count and decided that he should get the maximum sentence on the remaining counts run consecutively he would still be 104 before he could get out."

At one point, Pepple asked Spring if there had been hundreds of incidents. Spring said yes.

"They came to me a lot of times," Spring said. "It was still my responsibility to say no."