Franklin County jail Nicole Shonta Miller, 43, is alleged to have raped two young girls, ages 4 and 6.
Nicole Shonta Miller, 43, was charged by police in Ohio with the rape of two very young girls; ages 4 and 6.
The Columbus Police Department’s special tactical team executed a warrant for her arrest Wednesday night.
Columbus Police announced the arrest on Facebook and not long after, tweeted that the CPD’s Special Victims Bureau was on hand to “talk about what to do if your child is sexually assaulted.”
Meanwhile, people identifying as family members say the allegations are untrue. And Miller herself may have been referring to the accusations in an ominous post on social media the day before her arrest.
Police listed her middle name as Sonta but jail and court records list it as Shonta.
The case investigation is developing, but here’s what we know so far:
1. Columbus Police Say Miller Raped Two Prepubescent Girls, the Children of Friends in 2010 & 2018
On the night of Wednesday, March 27, Columbus Police SWAT officers arrested Miller. She was charged with three counts of rape. Police said she is accused of “raping tow girls, children of friends, in 2010 and 2018. The girls were 4 and 6 years old at the time.
The Columbus Police Department’s Special Victims Bureau is continuing the investigation, police said.
Miller is a mother and a grandmother, per her social media and from posts by family members.
2. Held Without Bond, According to the Latest Franklin County, Ohio Jail Records, Miller is Facing 3 First-Degree Felony Rape Charges
According to online court records, Miller is being held without bond, in connection with alleged rapes of very young girls. A probable cause affidavit was obtained on March 24. That complaint is not yet available but when it is, will be posted in this story.
Just updated early Friday afternoon, jail records show Miller is facing three rape charges. She was arraigned Thursday and her next court date is April 5.
3. Miller’s Police Record in Ohio Dates Back to 1996. Miller May Have Alluded to the Allegations on Facebook the Day Before Her Arrest For Allegedly Raping Children
Miller has been arrested numerous times since 1996 in Ohio, according to Franklin County court records.
Miller has a number of arrests for theft including a misdemeanor where she pleaded guilty and a “theft by deception” charge which was dismissed. She has numerous driving-related arrests and convictions including driving without a license, speeding, child restraint violations, and fleeing police trying to pull her over. Other criminal charges and convictions include disorderly conduct, endangering, and violating protective orders among other charges.
In 2002, she was arrested on warrants that charged with two counts of endangering children. The case was re-opened in 2003 and she pleaded guilty, had her 180-day jail time largely suspended and was placed on probation. Online records are opaque with respect to case details. She was also arrested in 2003 and charged with assault and domestic violence; both charges were dismissed and again, case details are not available.
On Tuesday, March 26, the day before she was arrested, Miller appeared to be referring to accusations, though she does not say anything about alleged rape in a post on one of her Facebook accounts.
“Wow Tracy and Dashi I’m still on your mind ..who’s stalking who?? Post the outcome of the false accusations too please smh#GODGOTME your lies will be exposed !! Good thing I’ve never been one to care what PEOPLE think?”
4. Miller, an Amputee, Has a Large Facebook Following & Calls Herself a ‘Inspirational Personality’ & ‘Lifecoach.’ She Defines as a Sapiosexual
Miller, who has nearly 7,000 ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ on Facebook, often posts inspirational content and describes herself as an “inspirational personality,” an “entrepreneur.”
But commenters on the CPD Facebook page, many of whom say they know her, claim she’s the antitheses of an inspiration and accuse her of wrongdoing. One woman who commented on the page says she is a “victim.”
Miller says on her social that she is a “creator of possibilities for disabled.”
Miller is an amputee with just one leg and says she is “proud amputee.”
And in a recent post on Facebook, she said that despite rumors about having lost her leg to gangrene after being shot, she said the leg that had a “through-and-through” bullet wound is intact and the amputation of her other leg was as a result of a flesh-eating bacteria.
And says she is a life coach for the disabled, an author, a jewelry consultant, and says she studied “supply chain management and customer service at Columbus State Community College” as well as the business management at Franklin University.
She is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and attended Mifflin High School.
Miller described herself as a “sapiosexual,” someone who is supposedly sexually attracted to a person’s intelligence.
She has an active Instagram where she has numerous posts related to cunnilingus.
5. Nearly 1,000 People Have Commented on the CPD Facebook Page About Miller’s Arrest. Most Are Horrified Including Many Who Know Her. But Family Say She Cannot be Guilty
In her booking image released by police, Miller appears to be wearing a wig and many have seized on that and that she’s an amputee to make jokes, but the vast majority of the hundreds of comments are more focused on the allegations and the trauma the two young girls have likely suffered as a result of the alleged rapes.
And most just want to see justice done.
“What I know for sure is the media and police don’t always get it right. I know her I’ve heard not such great things about her, and I’ve heard fantastic things about her. My prayer is always for the children because they didn’t ask to be here. They deserve protection, love and to be carefree kids. While many are having a fantastic time joking on her wig and leg. Just imagine how you’d feel if it were your children. Would it still be a laughing matter? What if she’s not guilty? At the end of the day I pray the truth prevails and should she be guilty. No mercy on her soul!”
But Iantha Ruffin says she’s known Miller her whole life and does not believe her capable of the crimes.
“I’ve known Nikki since she was a baby and I don’t believe for one minute that she did this ???”
Rahshea Knaff, who says she’s Miller’s sister, cannot fathom the charges that her sister raped children. In a comment on the CPD Facebook post, Knaff wrote, “Ain’t no fucking way my sister did anything to a child when she has children herself. None of this makes sense!”
Some replied that Knaff should accept that authorities have evidence. Knaff replied: “I don’t believe it somebody is setting my sister up.”
Twenty hours after her sister’s arrest was announced though, Knaff posted to her Facebook.
“I’m so devastated from the news from yesterday like this can’t be real.”