Rufus L. Brummett,
Highland County Sheriff’s Office Intake Photo
A Seaman man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday, September 30, after being convicted of multiple counts of rape. Rufus L. Brummett, 50, was found guilty of three first-degree felony counts of rape, including one count specifying that the victim was under the age of 10.
The sentencing followed a swift verdict delivered by a jury in Highland County Common Pleas Court. After a trial that detailed Brummett’s sexual assaults on a juvenile victim, the jury deliberated for less than 45 minutes before reaching their decision.
Brummett, who was indicted by a Highland County grand jury in May, was accused of committing these heinous acts over a three-year period. According to the indictment, the offenses occurred between 2019-2022, with each charge representing sexual assaults, including digital and oral penetration, during one-year periods: 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022.
During sentencing, Highland County Common Pleas Judge Rocky Coss made it clear that Brummett would never walk free again. Along with life in prison without parole, Coss imposed two additional consecutive sentences of 10 years to life for the other charges.
“It’s my intent to make sure that you spend the rest of your life in prison because I think that’s the only way other children will be protected,” Coss told Brummett, as reported by the Highland County Press.
Public records show that Brummett resided at 3090 SR 137, Seaman, Ohio, prior to his arrest and conviction.
