Appeals court recently upholds conviction of Archbold man on rape accusation.

An appeals court recently upheld the conviction of an Archbold man on a rape accusation who was given a minimum term of ten years in jail. A jury in Fulton County Common Pleas Court found 48-year-old Michael Cowgill guilty of one count of first-degree rape in March 2025. Additionally, the jury returned not guilty verdicts on three first-degree felony rape offenses. On July 3, 2024, Cowgill intentionally used force or the threat of force to make them submit. Cowgill was designated as a Tier III sexual offender in April 2025 and given a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum term of 15 years at the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.