The trial of a Pleasant Hill man originally charged with 48 felony counts of sexually assaulting his wife and sons opened in Pike County Court yesterday.
A warning to listeners, this story contains graphic content, discretion is advised.
WGEM & Muddy River News report that Pike County Assistant State’s Attorney Leecia Carnes did not mince words in opening statements yesterday in the trial of 30-year old Austin L. Rodhouse of Pleasant Hill. Rodhouse was arrested by Illinois State Police investigators back in June after a month-long investigation into domestic violence, child abuse, and criminal sexual abuse after being notified that a victim, identified in court proceedings on Tuesday as C.C., was taken to Blessing Hospital in Quincy. After further investigation after his arrest, Rodhouse was subsequently charged with 48 criminal felonies including 5 counts of Class X felony Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault, 2 counts of Class 1 felony Criminal Sexual Assault involving force, 4 counts of Class 4 felony Criminal Sexual Abuse involving force, 4 counts of Class X felony Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault, 3 counts of Class X felony possession of Child Pornography, 3 counts of Class X felony of Involuntary Sexual Servitude of a Minor, 4 counts of Class 2 felony Indecent Solicitation of an Adult, and 2 counts of Class 3 felony Aggravated Battery to a Child.
Muddy River News reports that Carnes told the jury of 8 men and 4 women, who had been selected on Monday, that Rodhouse had abused C.C., his wife, on May 4th after telling her to get on her hands and knees and eat dog food out of a bowl before kicking her in the abdomen causing a rupture to her spleen requiring surgery. The incident, Carnes said, was because C.C. Had not completed journal writing that Rodhouse had required her to do on a daily basis. Carnes addressed the jury for nearly an hour, providing horrifying, graphic and disturbing details about the life of Austin and CC Rodhouse and their two sons in Pleasant Hill.
Prior to the proceedings on Tuesday, the Pike County State’s Attorney’s Office filed motions to not prosecute 29 of the 48 felonies due to manpower and concerns of speedy trial rights.
Rodhouse now is charged with:
- 3 counts of aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony with a sentencing range of between three and seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
- 1 count of criminal sexual assault involving force, a Class 1 felony with a sentencing range of between four and 15 years in prison.
- 4 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 60 years.
- 3 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 30 years in prison.
- 2 counts of child pornography, a Class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 30 years in prison.
- 3 counts of indecent solicitation of an adult, a Class 2 felony with a sentencing range of three to seven years in prison.
- 3 counts of aggravated battery to a child, a Class 3 felony with a sentencing range of two to five years in prison.
Defense Attorney Casey Schnack was more succinct in her opening statements on Tuesday, attempting to draw reasonable doubt about one of the state’s potential witnesses, the scope of the state’s case in chief, and that the evidence in the trial will center around free will of the people involved.
Carnes’ opening contrasted by showing a litany of acts that Rodhouse is alleged to have forced upon CC since they initial meeting in Columbus, Ohio more than 8 years ago. The events described range from dominance, submission, bondage, sadomasochism, sexual servitude, forced sexual child abuse, forced group sex, torture, threats of her own murder, and verbal abuse.
The state then began its case in chief with DCFS investigator Stacy Bucher who said that her office received the first hotline reports about abuse in the Rodhouse household on May 7th but followed up on abuse reports after C.C. Was admitted to the hospital with the abdominal injury. WGEM reports that Bucher said she told ISP Trooper Jordan Gerard she was concerned Rodhouse’s wife, identified in court documents as C.C., was being blackmailed. Bucher testified she agreed to Gerard taking the lead in the investigation.
Gerard took the stand next and detailed the conversation that he initially had with C.C. at Blessing Hospital on the day of Rodhouse’s arrest. Gerard said that C.C. Initially said she injured herself after falling in a bathtub during a tornado warning. He said that C.C. Gave him permission to search her phone where he found digital evidence of child sex abuse. Gerard testified that that she told him she was forced to have “mommy time” with her two young sons that included sexual activity. He said she told him images and videos of those acts were used as blackmail to control her.
The final witness of the day was ISP Digital Crimes Unit forensic examiner Mark Sheftick. Sheftick detailed the processes used to pull data from the phones after Gerard obtained search warrants, as well as how information provided by Snapchat was gathered and used.
Schnack’s cross examination of each of the witnesses was brief. She asked Bucher if anyone could make hotline complaints to DCFS, and Bucher said they could. She also said the initial reports were the first time she had been made aware of troubles with Rodhouse and C.C.
During cross examination of Gerard, Schnack asked if he had inquired with doctors about any potential pain medication C.C. might have taken or her ability to provide consent to search her phone. Gerard said he had not.
Gerard also admitted to Schnack that forensic data on the phones would not be able to tell exactly who actually typed messages.
Sheftick and Bucher were excused from their subpoenas following their testimony. Carnes reserved the right to be able to recall Gerard for more testimony at a later date.