Victims say he's not guilty, but former Lorain County man still a registered sex offender

ELYRIA, Ohio - An exclusive 5 On Your Side investigation reveals the story of a former Amherst man who must register as a sex offender, even though his victims say he is innocent.

Joel Covender, 43, was convicted of gross sexual imposition and felonious sexual penetration for molesting his stepson and stepdaughter in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas in 1996.

His former stepchildren say Covender did not sexually abuse them and have signed affidavits recanting their testimony from his trial.

"How much more do you need to show to prove a person's innocent?” said Covender, during an exclusive interview with NewsChannel5 investigator Sarah Buduson.

Lorain County Prosecutor Dennis Will dismissed the case involving Covender's stepson after he recanted and testified on Covender's behalf during a 2007 court hearing. However, Will has repeatedly fought to stop Covender from being granted a new trial in his stepdaughter's case.

Will declined the opportunity for an on camera interview with NewsChannel5. In a statement, Will wrote that Covender's stepdaughter does not claim she was not abused.

Will said the stepdaughter testified “that she remembers nothing from her youth” and “that if she were molested, she probably would remember that, so she guesses that it must not have happened," during a 2007 hearing.

Will also wrote that a confidential informant taped the stepdaughter who said she "only" testified for Covender, so he would be allowed to see his biological children.

In an exclusive interview with NewsChannel5, Covender's former stepdaughter, Amber Slone, 24, said she has no memories of her early childhood.

“It’s all blocked out and a blur,” Slone said. However, she insisted Covender did not molest her.

"I just, I know it in my heart. I can feel it,” she said. Covender was released from prison in 2007 after spending 11 years behind bars.

He said he has worked to rebuild his life and has remarried, but he said the stigma of being a registered sex offender makes it impossible to feel like a normal human being.

"It's kind of like having a monkey on your back,” he said.

He plans to continue his legal battle for a new trial in his stepdaughter's case.

"I will fight everyday I can to prove that I did not do this,” he said.

Covender is currently waiting for the 9th District Court of Appeals in Akron to determine if he will be granted a hearing for new trial.