DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 30-year-old man has been indicted on multiple charges, including stalking and sexual assault, following an alarming incident involving a 79-year-old woman. Zachary Dickinson was brought before a judge on Wednesday to address the allegations that emerged from an event on August 21.
According to investigators from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Dickinson allegedly followed the victim home from a local Walmart and assaulted her in her driveway while she was unloading groceries. Detectives arrested him the day after the incident, based on police body camera footage that recorded their approach in the parking lot of Mason Christian Village, where he was employed.
Dickinson now faces charges that include burglary, kidnapping, and gross sexual imposition. During the court proceedings, Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Hardman provided a detailed account of the incident, indicating that Dickinson confronted the victim by pinning her against her car and engaging in unwanted sexual contact. The victim managed to call for help, prompting Dickinson to flee the scene.
The victim described the assailant as wearing a black mask made of sweatshirt material and recalled her immediate response to the attack. “I kept trying to think, think, think what to do,” she said, as she pursued the perpetrator down her driveway, hoping to capture the license plate of his vehicle. Her efforts paid off; she provided authorities with a partial license plate number and a description of the car that led detectives to the Flock camera system, a network of license plate-reading cameras utilized by police.
Hardman noted that the combination of Flock cameras and surveillance footage from nearby establishments played a crucial role in tracking down Dickinson. The investigation subsequently led law enforcement back to Mason Christian Village.
In response to the incident, Vickie L. Brashear, the president and CEO of Christian Village Communities, released a statement confirming Dickinson’s employment in the kitchen but clarified that he did not interact directly with residents. Following his arrest, he was terminated from his position and barred from returning to the premises. “We are thankful to law enforcement for their quick action in this case,” Brashear stated, also expressing sympathy for the victim.
Dickinson, a married father from Anderson Township, may have a bond set at $175,000, which his defense attorney, Dan Getty, sought to have reduced during the arraignment. However, the magistrate decided to keep the bond amount unchanged.
This case is ongoing, and as the legal process unfolds, the community remains shaken by the attack, highlighting concerns over safety and the protection of vulnerable individuals.
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