Cincinnati man who traveled to Elyria to rape girl, 12, pleads guilty ahead of trial

A Cincinnati man accused of traveling to Elyria to rape a 12-year-old girl last year has pleaded guilty to felony criminal charges that could put him in prison for close to 40 years. Joshua Telford, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court to 16 charges: 13 felonies including rape, pandering sexually oriented material, pandering obscenity, tampering with evidence, disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and grooming, and three misdemeanor criminal child enticement charges. A trial had been scheduled to begin Tuesday in Judge Melissa Kobasher's court. Instead, she accepted Telford's plea, found him guilty, and scheduled sentencing for Oct. 26. The Lorain County Prosecutor's Office dismissed a single felony rape charge as part of a plea agreement, according to court records. The maximum penalty for the crimes is life in prison with parole eligibility after 38 1/2 years, according to court records, and Telford must register as a sex offender. He remains in custody at the Lorain County Jail, where he has been since February, unable to post $150,000 bond. He was arrested Feb. 18 in Hamilton County by the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team and transported to Lorain County to face trial. Elyria police said Telford groomed the girl to have sex with him starting when she was 11. He then traveled to Elyria last year to rape her, and had a gun with him when he did. The age of consent for sexual activity in Ohio is 16. Police said the girl's mother found out and reported the crimes to police. The Chronicle-Telegram does not name victims of sexual assault. Charges that Telford possessed illegal images of a child or children engaged in sexual conduct were filed in June. Telford's attorneys previously told Kobasher that Telford is hearing-impaired and undergoing mental health treatment. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.