Judge Allows Dog to Accompany Witness, 9, During Testimony in Trial of Man Accused of Raping Baby

A judge ruled a 9-year-old witness in a baby rape trial can be accompanied by a facility dog during testimony.

The child is a witness in the trial of Jacob Champion, 26, who is accused of the rape of a 17-month old baby, The Morning Journal reported. The trial, which is being heard by Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge John R, Miraldi, began Tuesday.

Prosecutors in Lorain County, Ohio, acquired Farley, a specially-trained Labrador, to support victims and witnesses, The Journal recently reported. "A few people were talking about getting a dog, so I listened to what they had to say, and eventually Summit County got a dog," Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will told the publication in September. "We did a lot of research on it."

"People come to the system, they know little or nothing about it, they're victimized once already," Will added. Facility dogs, he said, can especially help victims of crime who may be hesitant to discuss their experiences.

Champion, from Lorain, Ohio, stands accused of assaulting the baby boy with an object, injuring his anus and rectum, on August 2, 2016. According to local outlet The Chronicle, police believe a small souvenir baseball bat may have been used in the attack.

The baby's mother found him shaking and crying in his crib that morning, and noticed blood on his onesie, diaper and sheets, The Chronicle reported. She told the court she took him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A motion requesting the facility dog's presence at the trial stated the 9-year-old witness would say Champion, who was awake at the time of the incident, had blood in his mouth, The Journal reported. The motion also asserted Champion's DNA was discovered on the baby's bloody diaper.

According to The Chronicle, the mother told the court her baby had recently grown distant from Champion. Champion and the mother had argued after she picked up the baby from her father's home August 1.

Champion is accused of two counts of rape, one count of felonious assault and one count of endangering children. The trial continues.

Elsewhere in Ohio, police recently charged an 18-year-old babysitter, Sage Smerk, with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl he was minding. He later shot at police with an air pistol from his vehicle when they tried to apprehend him.