Local man arrested on rape charge alleging child sexual abuse

An Defiance man was arrested this week on a rape charge alleging that he engaged in sexual conduct with a child.

Manuel Canales, 24, 06609 Ohio 66, was arrested Wednesday afternoon by the Defiance County Sheriff’s Office and charged with rape, a first-degree felony.

Canales made an initial appearance Friday in Defiance Municipal Court where bond was set at $500,000 cash and he received a court-appointed attorney. He is scheduled to return to court on Monday and was being held Friday in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio.

According to Defiance County Prosecutor Morris Murray, a county grand jury will hear his case on Tuesday. Additional charges are possible, he noted, as this was an “ongoing course of conduct,” Murray explained.

The child’s age was under at least the age 13 when the conduct occurred, he indicated.