Springfield man charged with rape, abduction in Clark County court

John Romel

John Romel

A Springfield man is accused of raping a woman he was previously in a relationship with.

John Romel, 36, is charged in Clark County Municipal Court with rape and abduction. He appeared in court Thursday morning but his case was continued until Friday morning.

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Springfield police began their investigation Wednesday morning when they were called to a home on the 1700 block of Highland Avenue in reference to a sexual assault. Springfield police spoke with a woman who said Romel lived in the house, was suffering a mental disorder and assaulted her.

The woman reported the two had a dispute earlier in the night and around 2 a.m. Romel entered her bedroom and the dispute continued. When she left the room to take a shower Romel followed her and assaulted her, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

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Springfield police spoke with Romel who told officers the incident did take place but he did so to gather DNA evidence of the supposed previous rape. The woman denied ever being attacked previously, according to the affidavit.

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