Accused serial rapist has new trial date

NORWALK — Accused serial rapist McClain Durst has a new trial date in Huron County.The trial will incorporate all of his active rape cases in the county.Durst, 29, who's been held in the Huron County jail since July 2017, will appear before a judge April 3 in Huron County Common Pleas Court for his two active cases.The charges Durst faces in both cases:• Two counts of first-degree felony rape• Two counts of second-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor• Two counts of third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor• Four counts of fourth-degree felony importuningDurst was indicted on those charges Feb. 16. The charges are not for new cases. Rather they are re-indictments of his two prior Huron County cases, stemming from alleged incidents in July 2017, with amended charges that cited a different statute, according to Huron County Prosecutor James Sitterly.Sitterly confirmed there are two victims who are children between the ages of 13 and 16.Both of the victims reported the alleged sex crimes before August, Sitterly said. Durst was arrested July 22.In Durst's decade-long history of alleged sex crime cases, he would typically allegedly contact girls via social media and then get into to cars with them, according to police reports. He then would allegedly sexually assault the girls while they were inside the vehicle.Sitterly said he could not confirm if Durst used this same manner of assault with the Huron County victims.Durst's case is a unique one, said Sitterly, who took office in January 2017. "I haven't dealt with a case like this since I've been in office," he said.Durst had a pretrial in Huron County Monday and has one more scheduled for March 20.Sandusky County rape caseDurst also has a pending rape case in Sandusky County originating from an Oct. 14, 2015, rape allegation that allegedly occurred in the 300 block of Seneca Parkway in Bellevue.The jury trial for that case has been pushed back several times since early 2016, according to court records. The latest delay came when Durst and his attorney claimed that Durst met and discussed his rape case with Sandusky County prosecutor Tim Braun in 201 when Braun was still in private practice.The Sandusky County Common Pleas Court has since named Wood County prosecutor Paul Dobson special prosecutor in Durst's case.Durst has a pretrial in Sandusky County scheduled for March 7, but he does not have any other hearings or a trial date set yet.More articles on McClain DurstReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterAccused serial rapist McClain Durst walks with sheriff's deputies as they enter the Norwalk Municipal Court on Friday, July 28, 2017.