MOUNT VERNON — Few things are more haunting than a wrongful death, wanton sexual act or incidence of violence. The impact of crime on victims is substantial, and there is also a toll on attorneys. Prosecutor John Thatcher and assistant prosecutors Jennifer Springer and Chip McConville tackle about 200 felony cases a year in Knox County. Most involve nonviolent offenses, but all too often victims are brutalized or violated.
“Criminals do some horrible things, and what we hear and see will keep you up at night,” Springer says. “I thought I would become hardened to it, but after seven and-a-half years, I haven’t.”
On average, a dozen or so felons a year are sentenced to five or more years in prison by Common Pleas Judge Otho Eyster. Dennis Lamp, 34, and 20-year-old John Brookins, both of Mount Vernon, were convicted this year for raping children. Each received a sentence of 10 years to life. Another predator, George Orndorff, 51, of Mount Vernon, is serving 12 years for gross sexual imposition on a minor.
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