Former Cleveland State violinist charged with child rape

Stacey Frey
·1 min read
1

(WJW) – A world-renowned violinist and concertmaster living and working in Northeast Ohio has been arrested on rape charges.

Odin Rathnam, 58, had been a faculty member at Cleveland State University and offered private violin lessons and master classes.

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None of the allegations involve students at CSU or anyone in our area.

According to Lower Paxton Township police in Pennsylvania, Rathnam is accused of repeatedly raping a young girl over a decade from 2008 to 2019. The alleged crimes started when she was about 6 years old.

The victim reported the abuse in May, according to PennLive, saying that she suffered injuries from the sexual assaults that are still not fully healed and she has ongoing medical issues.

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Rathnam was arrested at his home in Sheffield Lake earlier this month.

He was extradited to Harrisburg and arraigned on rape charges on Wednesday.

The classical violinist was trained at The Julliard School and has performed with some of the most well-respected orchestras in the world, including the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and The Cleveland Philharmonic.

Cleveland State University released a statement to Fox 8.

“Cleveland State University has been made aware by authorities in Pennsylvania of an investigation into allegations of sexual assault against Odin Rathnam in Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio. According to law enforcement, these allegations do not involve a CSU student, nor did the alleged incidents happen on CSU’s campus.

“Rathnam is no longer employed at Cleveland State, and the University will fully cooperate as needed with authorities in Pennsylvania and Sheffield Lake as they investigate.”

The once well-respected classical musician was taken from the Lorian County Jail to Harrisburg, PA where he is locked up without bail.

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