Zachary Gibson in court via video.
A Bowling Green man accused of raping a teenage boy has pleaded not guilty.
Zachary Gibson, 31, appeared for arraignment Friday via video in the courtroom of Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman.
Defense attorney Sara Roller entered pleas of not guilty to all 17 charges on behalf of her client.
Gibson had been indicted earlier this month for three counts of rape, all first-degree felonies; six counts pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor or impaired person, all second-degree felonies; and three counts gross sexual imposition, all fourth-degree felonies.
He also was indicted for one count disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a fifth-degree felony; illegal administration or distribution of anabolic steroids, a fourth-degree felony; importuning, a fifth-degree felony; and two counts failure to comply with underage alcohol laws, both unclassified misdemeanors.
He has been in jail since April 13.
Roller asked for a reasonable bond.
“We have not doubt that he would comply with any conditions of bond that the court would set,” she said.
Wood County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dexter Phillips asked for a $500,000 bond as Gibson faces more than 100 years in prison on these charges and is a flight risk.
“Public safety is at issue here,” he said.
Phillips said Gibson has been contacting younger siblings of the new alleged victims asking what was being told to police.
Bond was set at $200,000. If posted, he is to wear a gps monitor with an exclusion zone of five miles around the alleged victims’ residences and schools, have no contact with victims or family members, have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, have no access to the internet, and not possess or use any electronic device capable of connecting the the internet.
A final pretrial was scheduled for June 22 with a trial to start July 10.
Gibson had first been indicted in June 2022 for two counts of sexual battery, both third-degree felonies; two counts of illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, both fifth-degree felonies; and attempted illegal use of minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance, also a fifth-degree felony.
At the time of these accusations, Gibson was a strength and conditioning coach at Bowling Green High School and was employed by Fastrak Performance. The company has since closed.
The new charges also stem from Gibson’s employment with Fastrak, where, as part of his employment, he assisted high school athletes as a strength and conditioning coach.
It is alleged that this access to some of these students resulted in the charges, according to Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson.
The three new rape charges allege that on July 2-3, 2021, Gibson engaged in sexual conduct with the same boy, who was 15 at the time, and the ability of the alleged victim to resist or consent was substantially impaired because of mental or physical condition.
The GSI charges allege sexual contact with the same boy, during the same time period. Gibson allegedly knew the boy’s ability to resist or consent was substantially impaired because of physical condition.
The pandering also allegedly occurred from July 2-3, 2021, when Gibson allegedly created, photographed, reproduced or published material that showed a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity or masturbation.
On March 27, 2022, Gibson allegedly furnished or showed the boy or a law enforcement officer posting as juvenile material that was obscene.
He also is accused of providing the boy with alcohol twice, on July 2-3, 2021, and March 27, 2022.
On or about Sept. 2, 2020, Gibson allegedly solicited a separate boy who was 15 at the time to engage in sex.
Finally, from Sept. 2-Dec. 14, 2020, Gibson allegedly administered an anabolic steroid. It is unclear whether he allegedly used the steroids himself or administered it to another person.
“These charges are related to two new victims,” said Wood County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Dexter Phillips at an April 20 hearing while referring to the June indictment.
According to the June indictment, Gibson allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with the same 16-year-old while he was a coach “or otherwise in a position of temporary or occasional disciplinary control over the boy.”
The offenses reportedly occurred on or about March 1, 2022, and April 30, 2022, while Gibson worked with the baseball and basketball teams at Bowling Green High School.
Gibson was never employed directly by the school district.
He also was accused of possessing or viewing material or performance that showed a minor in a state of nudity. These offenses allegedly occurred between Feb. 1. 2-22 and March 5, 2022.
Kuhlman said the rape charges have a mandatory three-11 years in prison, and the pandering charges carry a prison sentence of two-eight years. The remaining charges vary from six months to 18 months each.
Gibson will have to register as a sex offender if found guilty, either Tier I, II or III depending on the charge.
Kuhlman denied the state’s motion to join the 2022 and 2023 cases for purposes of trial but asked both sides to file motions in support and opposition of the action.
Gibson was sentenced in November 2010 in Hardin County Municipal Court for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanor offense, according to the Ada Herald.
He had been arrested in a park restroom after village police were alerted to text messages Gibson, who was 18 at the time, had sent to a 14-year-old boy.
