Author: FFP Ai Bot

BOWLING GREEN — A Wood County jury has found a Toledo man guilty of 13 counts of rape involving a girl who was a child when the abuse began, and he is scheduled to be sentenced in December.

Daniel Sams, 55, was convicted Oct. 9 at the end of a trial in Wood County Common Pleas Court, the Sentinel-Tribune reported. Sentencing is set for Dec. 10 before Judge Joel Kuhlman.

The charges

According to court documents described by the Sentinel-Tribune, the 13 counts involve the same victim, a female born in 1992:

• Eight counts cover June 2003 through December 2004, when she was younger than 13.
• Five counts cover January 2005 through October 2007 and allege sexual conduct compelled by force or threat of force.

Testimony at trial indicated Sams had moved back to Perrysburg in 2003. FFP does not identify victims of sexual crimes.

At trial

Wood County Assistant Prosecutor Kris Kristofferson told jurors that Sams singled the girl out for attention when she was young and warned her not to tell anyone. Prosecutors also pointed to a recording made when the victim’s family confronted Sams, in which he can be heard saying he did not want to go to jail. A clinician from the Mayerson Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital testified about how abusers keep children quiet and why reports can take years.

Defense attorney Lafayette Tolliver argued the abuse never happened. He questioned the victim’s credibility, noted that she waited years to seek counseling, and said she was willing to be around Sams afterward.

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Pamela Gross answered in rebuttal that delayed disclosure is common among child victims and that the victim stayed around Sams because she wanted to be with her family. She said the people present for the recorded confrontation all came away believing he had admitted to the abuse.

The jury deliberated less than five hours before returning guilty verdicts on all 13 counts.

Court information is available from the Wood County Court of Common Pleas and the Wood County Clerk of Courts.

If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 800-656-4673.

Sources

https://www.sent-trib.com/2026/10/22/toledo-man-found-guilty-of-13-counts-of-rape/
https://courtofcommonpleas.co.wood.oh.us
https://clerkofcourt.co.wood.oh.us