Ephrata man's conviction upheld

EPHRATA - The state Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of an Ephrata man found guilty of raping two girls between 1995 and 2004

A jury found Jack G. Jones, 66, guilty of two counts of first degree rape of a child in May 2011, according to records.

In 2004, a victim accused Jones of molesting her between April 1997 and April 2004, according to records.

The case was dropped after another man was accused and took a polygraph test. According to records, police couldn't find Jones to question him.

According to records, accusations resurfaced in 2008 when another victim told police Jones molested her between June 1995 and June 1999.

Jones reportedly denied the allegations when questioned by police, according to court records.

After the 2011 trial, Jones was sentenced to 11 years and eight months to life, according to Grant County Prosecutor Angus Lee.

Jones appealed his conviction, challenging instructions given to the jury during the trial.

According to court documents, Jones also appealed his conviction because he believed counsel failed to secure an expert witness to support the defense's theory that multiple interviews of the victims created false memories of the alleged abuse.

Jones also argued his right to a speedy trial was violated because his trial was continued 25 times during a period of almost four years.