State v. Lopez, Unpublished Decision (5-13-1999)

Defendant-appellant Fernando Lopez ("defendant") appeals the jury verdict finding him guilty of three counts of rape in violation of R.C. 2907.02(A)(1)(b) and three counts of gross sexual imposition in violation of R.C. 2907.05. Defendant claims: (1) the plaintiff-appellee State of Ohio created material prejudice in the minds of the jury by making references to unsubstantiated evidence and (2) the jury verdict was unsupported by the evidence.

A review of the hearing transcript reveals several witnesses testified on behalf of the state. The first witness to testify was Yolanda Villegas. She…