A former Bucyrus man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to rape charges.
During a change of plea hearing on March 3, David L. Holdcraft, 31, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, all first-degree felonies. One count of gross sexual imposition was dismissed as part of his agreement with prosecutors. Judge Sean Leuthold had ordered a pre-sentence investigation take place before he sentenced Holdcraft.
On April 16, Holdcraft was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his crimes of rape of children under the age of six.
According to Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall, Holdcraft’s sentence means he will never be eligible for parole. Holdcraft is currently serving a 24-year sentence in prison on federal charges.
He was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr., after he pleaded guilty to the receipt and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children in May 2022.
“The cruelty and depravity of this defendant’s actions are unimaginable and individuals such as this defendant are why the Justice Department and all of law enforcement remain dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable among us by prosecuting dangerous predators,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler at that time in a press release to the media. “We are grateful to the authorities in this case for their hard work in identifying and apprehending this individual.”
According to court documents, on Feb. 25, 2022, Mansfield FBI agents executed a search warrant at Holdcraft’s Bucyrus residence after receiving information that Holdcraft was involved in the distribution of child pornography on Wickr and Kik Messenger. During the search of Holdcraft’s residence, agents obtained several electronic devices that were later found to contain hundreds of images and videos that depicted children as young as toddlers engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators also seized a child-sized rubber torso from Holdcraft’s bedroom.
Investigators further determined that Holdcraft was engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a five-year-old victim and videotaped himself performing sexual acts on the victim. The charges of rape that Holdcraft pleaded guilty to in March stem from these video tapes and other evidence collected during both the federal and local investigations. Holdcraft was represented by attorneys Mackenzie Garverick and Howard Elliott.
