Milan man gets 20 years for Battery, Sexual Misconduct

Wanda English Burnett
Editor

Facing felony counts in Ripley County and Dearborn County, Ronald Rose Jr., 25, of 12353 West State Rd 350, Moores Hill (Milan), took a plea deal recently that will see him behind bars for the next 10 years.

According to Ripley Publishing Company files, Rose was charged with raping a mentally disabled female in June of 2010. He was actually out on bond for aggravated battery (beating another female) when the rape occurred.

Both times he bonded out for a total of $25,000. But, Rose also faced another count in Dearborn County of Sexual Misconduct with a male mentally challenged individual.
Prosecutors from both counties got together and Rose came out, well, not smelling like a rose.

Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel said Rose pled guilty to Sexual Misconduct in Dearborn County and Aggravated Battery in Ripley County. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 10 years suspended, pending good behavior. The prosecutor isn’t sure that Rose can adhere to the good behavior aspect and says he’ll be in prison for a long time.

The rape charged was dropped in the plea bargain process. Of course authorities would have liked to have seen Rose get the full sentence for all charges pending against him, but when a plea bargain is struck, something has to give. The victim in this case would be spared a grueling court appearance and Rose still will spend time in prison.

The aggravated battery charge nearly cost a woman her life when Rose beat her so severely she was finally taken to the hospital. According to the Probable Cause Affidavit, Rose “slammed her against a wall and punched her in the ribcage/stomach area.” The victim told how she began sweating, shaking, blacking out and vomiting. She said it was hours later that Rose took her to the hospital where doctors found her spleen had ruptured.

According to medical records from St. Luke Hospital, the victim had lost about four liters of blood. Dr. Heidi Murley stated in her opinion the splenic injury was due to physical trauma.

Rose told investigators that the victim fell up three to four steps and then fell back down three to four steps due to her carrying Christmas presents. The battery occurred at Christmas time 2010. The victim told that Rose refused to take her to the hospital in Indiana and instead went to St. Luke Medical Center in Kentucky.

The victim was terrified of Rose saying if he found out she had told anything he would “beat her worse than she has had before.”

While Prosecutor Hertel would have liked for Rose to have more time in prison, he is thankful for the time he was given, knowing that’s at least 10 years he won’t be hurting anyone in his county.

From his (Rose) pattern of abusive behavior, Prosecutor Hertel noted he had concerns that the defendant will re-offend when he is released from prison.