Ohio Parole Board releases man who repeatedly raped toddler son

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) - A local man serving three life sentences for rape is now walking the streets.

The Ohio Parole Board has just released 54-year-old Mark Sprague, who repeatedly raped his toddler son.

Sprague has been in prison since 1995. On Monday, he walked out a free man.

His victim was his own son, Christopher, who didn’t live to see his second birthday. Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser was not involved in his trial, but he says he is the voice of the victim.

“This child died at 22 months; he was not alive to express his objections to what happened to him. His tears, his crying is what probably caused his death by his mother. Because what would you expect to have with rectal tearing in a child still in diapers,” Gmoser said.

The newspaper headline from 23 years ago reads: "Autopsy reveals tot raped, father charged in abuse.’

Sprague admitted to the crime against his own son and pleaded guilty to rape and felonious sexual penetration. He got life with the possibility of parole. In the September decision to release Sprague, the parole board found he had, “served a sufficient portion of his sentence, has completed institutional programming to abate his risk to reoffend and has been maintaining an acceptable institutional adjustment.”

Gmoser said, “I represent the victim in this case. I represent the state of Ohio, frankly, in the technical sense, and I’m the voice of this young person that was so viciously abused by a person who is beyond redemption. Now the Parole Authority said, 'Well, he’s not planning to have more children.' He’s being released with a hope and a prayer that he doesn’t have more children.”

Sprague will be listed as a sex offender. His address is in Warren County. He was up for parole in 2014 and was denied.

His wife at the time, Della Sprague, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the death of their son. She is also out of prison.