ZANESVILLE – Two months after her husband’s acquittal for the same incident, Dresden native Ashton Whitney Stotts, 37, was sentenced for sexual assault.
She was sentenced to two years in prison when she went before Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kelly Cottrill on July 28, after she being found found guilty on three counts of sexual battery, both third-degree felonies, in May.
Ashton W. Stotts stands before Judge Kelly Cottrill on July 28. She was found guilty of three counts of sexual battery after a jury trial in May. She received two years in prison for sexual assault during a drunken three-person encounter in March 2024.
The incident occurred in March 2024, with one female victim.
The victim, who reportedly blacked out at one point, woke back up being sexually assaulted, she said in an impact statement that was read before the court.
“I thought I could trust her,” the victim said in her letter.
She then detailed the nightmarish realities of living a life filled with fear, anxiety, instability, and mental and emotional distress. Haunted by the incident, she stated it cost her marriage, caused her to miss out on family milestones, and created insecurity in her current relationships.
The physical wounds have healed, she explained, but her heart and mind hadn’t.
“I don’t wish this on anyone,” she said.
“Sexual assault is different than any other case,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Michael Hughes, as he asked for a 15-year maximum sentence. “Sexual assault is different because they violate them as an autonomous human being.”
Stotts and her attorney, Aaron Conrad, asked for community control (or probation). He noted it was an isolated incident and Stotts has been proactive in seeking therapy and remaining sober since the event.
“This is certainly a very serious case,” Conrad said. “My client takes it very seriously.”
She had no other prior convictions or criminal record of any kind and was a low risk for recidivism, he added.
Stotts apologized for the sadness, confusion, and discomfort she caused the victim.
“I wish I could go back. I deeply regret the events of March 4, 2024,” she said before the court.
“I’m not usually one that goes through life recklessly or carelessly,” she continued. “That night was not a reflection of the woman I am or the woman I strive to be.”
“This night is what you’ll be sentenced on,” Cottrill said to Stotts. “This was precipitated by your dangerous lifestyle, and now there’s a victim.”
He acknowledged Stotts for her sobriety, attending weekly therapy sessions, and a large support system that submitted at least 29 letters on her behalf.
“This is a really difficult case,” Cottrill added.
Stotts’ received three two-year sentences that are running concurrently. She’ll be required to register as a Tier 3 sex offender upon her release.
“After being convicted by a jury on three counts of sexual battery, our office asked for a maximum sentence of 15 years. For a defendant to only receive two years after failing to take any responsibility is disappointing,” said Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch on July 28.
Stotts was given one day of jail-time credit. She was previously and briefly held in the Muskingum County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
Her husband, Wesley Stotts, was acquitted of seven charges on May 21, including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery, and one count of gross sexual imposition. Ashton was initially indicted on the same seven charges.
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Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Dresden woman sentenced on sexual battery charges; husband acquitted