As drum-major instructor for Ohio State University's marching band, Stewart Kitchen convinced a 19-year-old freshman that his coaching and influence would land her a spot on the drum-major training squad.

As drum-major instructor for Ohio State University's marching band, Stewart Kitchen convinced a 19-year-old freshman that his coaching and influence would land her a spot on the drum-major training squad.

On Wednesday, the woman stood in a Franklin County courtroom and delivered an emotional,10-minute statement about how Kitchen abused that trust and forever altered her lifeby luring her to his apartment and sexually assaulting her in April 2015.

"My life for the past 14 months has been on hold," she said. "I've had to sit here as my life, who I was, the strong, the confident, the girl I knew, falls away from me. My innocence, my confidence, my safety, my worth, my happiness, my life, it's all damaged... I sit here broken, my life taken, dismantled by this man's decision to do this to me."

Kitchen, who pleaded guilty last month to one count of sexual battery, was eligible for probation, but the victim and Assistant Prosecutor Robert Letson said he deserved prison.

Common Pleas Judge Laurel Beatty agreed, imposing three years. Kitchen also must registeras asex offender every 90 days for the rest of his life.

He will be eligibleto apply for judicial release after serving six months in prison.

"Mr. Kitchen, I think you recruited this young woman and then you abused your power and betrayed her trust," the judge told him.

Kitchen, 29, showed little emotion during the hearing but appeared to choke up briefly as he turned and apologized to the victim for "tarnishing" her experience at Ohio State.

"She's not at fault in this," he said. "This was my fault."

The Dispatch does not identify the victims of sexual assault without their permission.

The womansaid shewas unaware of theuniversity's drum-major training squad,known as D-Row, until Kitchen sent her a Facebook message andencouraged her to apply.

After repeated efforts to arrange practice time, she accepted hisinvitation to discuss the programon thenight of April 15, 2015. He took her to a bar and bought her alcohol, but she said sheconsumed less than onefull drink.

Kitchen eventually told her he was too drunk to driveher home and suggested that they walk to his apartment on Indiana Avenue. After they arrived, he rejected her requests for a ride home and assaulted her, she said.

"That night I laid there, frozen in fear and trauma, as my coach disobeyed my requests and raped me," she told the judge. "I said 'no.' No means no. I said, 'Take me home.' That means take me home. I said, 'I'm not comfortable with this.' I said, 'Do not have sex with me.'"

Afterward, in a phone call monitored by Columbus police, Kitchen tried to convince her tosay thatthe sex was consensual.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed two counts of rape and a misdemeanor charge ofviolating underage alcohol laws. Kitchen, who served as OSU's drum major in 2006 and 2007, had a part-time contract with the university that expiredshortly after his arrest.

After the hearing, the woman said she was "incredibly grateful that there is some sort of punishment he is receiving."

She left Ohio State after the incident andbegins classesat another university in the fall, she said.

"I will prevail from this," she told the judge. "I will go forward and my life will go on.But it will never be the same."

jfutty@dispatch.com

@JohnFutty

