Bucyrus man sentenced to 45 years in prison for raping two children

A Bucyrus man will spend at least the next 4 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to rape of a child during a pretrial hearing in Crawford County Court on Monday.

According to District Attorney Matthew Crall, 32-year-old David Shepherd pleaded guilty to three counts of rape of two children, both under the age of 10. He faces a prison sentence of 15 years to life for each of these counts.

“The multiple counts of indictment against Shepherd were based on his systematic and repeated rape of two children over several years,” Crall said.

Judge Sean Leuthold sentenced Shepherd to between 15 years and life in prison for each count, for a total sentence of at least 45 years behind bars.

“The message of this case is clear: no matter how bad a situation is, a parent can prevail when it comes to protecting their children. The mother in this case actually alerted the police from prison while serving her sentence. She worked with the Bucyrus Police Department to protect her children and bring the abuser to justice,” Crall said.