Rapist Pleads Guilty, Receives 9 Year Sentence

By Mike Perleberg  (Vevay, Ind.) - A Switzerland County man convicted of rape is being ordered to serve nine years. Matthew S. Lohide was arrested for raping a woman in August of 2014 at his home in Vevay. An affidavit filed at the time of Lohide’s arrest alleged that he held the victim down against her will as he performed various sexual acts and kept the victim from leaving his bedroom by holding her down on his bed. Lohide is the son of Switzerland County Commissioner Mark Lohide. For that reason, Dearborn Superior Court I Judge Jon Cleary and Ripley County Prosecutor Ric Hertel were appointed as a special judge and prosecutor to the case. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to Rape (level 3 felony) in exchange for the dismissal of two more counts of Rape, three counts of Sexual Battery (Level 6 felony) and one count of Criminal Confinement (Level 6 felony). Lohide was sentenced February 12. Cleary ordered Lohide to serve six years in prison, one year on in-home incarceration, and three years on probation. The judge also recommended that Lohide receive alcohol counseling while behind bars and after his release. Pleading guilty to a level 3 felony, Lohide had faced up to 16 years in prison. The victim in the case told Eagle Country 99.3 that she hoped for more prison time than he was given. "It's never enough. It could never be enough, but I'm satisfied it didn't have to go to a jury trial," she said. Lohide is also under order to have no contact with the victim or her family. RELATED STORIES: Rape, Sexual Battery Charges Filed Against Vevay Resident