[Cite as State v. Abdullahi , 2018-Ohio-5146.] IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT State of Ohio, : Plaintiff-Appellee, : No. 18AP-222 (C.P.C. No. 16CR-6366) v. : (REGULAR CALENDAR) Liban Abdullahi, : Defendant-Appellant. : D E C I S I O N Rendered on December 20, 2018 On brief: Ron O'Brien, Prosecuting Attorney, and Barbara A. Farnbacher, for appellee. Argued: Barbara A. Farnbacher. On brief: Anzelmo Law, and James A. Anzelmo, for appellant. Argued: James A. Anzelmo. APPEAL from the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas LUPER SCHUSTER, J. {¶ 1} Defendant-appellant, Liban Abdullahi, appeals from a judgment entry of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas finding him guilty of two counts of rape and one count of kidnapping. For the following reasons, we affirm. I. Facts and Procedural History {¶ 2} By indictment filed November 15, 2016, plaintiff-appellee, State of Ohio, charged Abdullahi with three counts of rape in violation of R.C. 2907.02, all first-degree felonies; and one count of kidnapping in violation of R.C. 2905.01, a first-degree felony. The indictment stated the offenses all occurred on September 17, 2015 and that the victim of the offenses was A.D. Abdullahi entered a plea of not guilty. Subsequently, Abdullahi waived his right to a jury trial and requested instead a bench trial. No. 18AP-222 2 {¶ 3} At the bench trial beginning September 25, 2017, Dana Houseberg, an officer with the Columbus Division of Police, testified that she responded to a disturbance call on September 17, 2015 that a woman had been raped and that the suspect was still present at the scene. The address given for the disturbance call was Walford Street, but Officer Houseberg said the caller flagged her down in her cruiser as she arrived. Once she arrived, Officer Houseberg testified she encountered A.D. who was "visibly upset, shaken, [and] crying." (Tr. at 19.) A.D. does not speak English fluently and had two interpreters with her, who identified themselves as A.D.'s casework and case manager through the Community Refugee and Immigration Services ("CRIS") who helped her call 911 and were helping A.D. communicate with Officer Houseberg. {¶ 4} Through the interpreter, A.D. told Officer Houseberg that she went to Abdullahi's house to get a ride to work as had been arranged by her caseworker. A.D. told Officer Houseberg she knew Abdullahi's wife and had asked to visit with his wife, so Abdullahi let her inside only for A.D. to learn his wife was not home. At that point, A.D. told Officer Houseberg that Abdullahi raped her. Based on A.D.'s statements to her, Officer Houseberg testified she called for a medic to transport A.D. to a hospital. The caseworker and the case manager helped Officer Houseberg locate Abdullahi who was "[j]ust sitting out in front of his apartment." (Tr. at 21.) {¶ 5} A.D. testified, through an interpreter, that she is 42 years old and that she immigrated to the United States from Somalia in 2012. A.D. stated she did not know Abdullahi before ...
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