A woman from Athens County, Ohio was placed on a $1 million bond Wednesday, after pleading not guilty to several felonies related to the alleged sexual abuse of children.
49 year old Deborah Bellar appeared in front of Judge Patrick Long Wednesday, charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a second-degree felony and two charges of endangering children, both third-degree felonies.
The Athens County Prosecutor’s Office says the investigation began after Sarah Bellar, who was reported missing in April 2020, resurfaced using a pseudonym on a social media post. On that post, she stated she was safe but also described a number of allegations, including sexual assault by her family.
After the investigation, two of Deborah Bellar’s 18 children and her husband are being charged with similar felonies.
24 year old Josiah Bellar is charged with three counts of sexual assault and two counts of gross sexual imposition. Josiah is currently in jail on unrelated charges.
Jonathan Bellar, 26, is charged with gross sexual imposition. He was arrested Wednesday and is being held at the Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail. He is set to be arraigned Thursday.
Deborah’s husband, 54 year old Robert Bellar is being charged with the same crimes; however, officers say he is on the run from law enforcement. A nationwide warrant has been issued for his arrest.
A pretrial is scheduled on June 24.