Former Polish seminary student sentenced to at least one year in detention for attacking classmate

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A former Poland Seminary High School student was sentenced today in Mahoning County Juvenile Court to at least one year by the Department of Youth Services after pleading guilty last month to an attack on another student at the school.

The student, now 18 years old, was sentenced by Magistrate Karen Romano Melone, who sentenced him to a minimum of one year in DYS until he turns 21.

This sentence means that the defendant can serve more than a year if his behavior requires a longer sentence.

WKBN does not list the names of juveniles accused of crimes unless they are indicted by a grand jury or their cases are heard in common pleas court. Because the defendant was a juvenile when the crimes were committed and when he was charged, WKBN is not reporting his name.

The accused was accused of raping a 15-year-old student in an auditorium during lunch. He entered a plea of ​​admission in May, the juvenile court equivalent of guilty, to charges of rape, a first-degree felony, as well as other charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor, a second-degree felony degree ; pimping sexual material involving a minor, a second-degree felony; assault, a first-degree misdemeanor; and misdemeanor counts of violating a protection order, telecommunications harassment, and threatening by stalking.

The victim reported the incident to a guidance counselor, which sparked an investigation by Poland Municipal Police.

Police report says victim told investigators the teen had been violent toward her in the past, lured her into the bathroom, attacked her and filmed the incident on his cell phone . He threatened to show the video to other people if she spoke out about the attack, according to reports.

The teen voluntarily handed over his cellphone to police and told them that nude photos and videos of the victim were on the phone, according to the report.

When police called the teenager's relative to get the passcode to the phone, she refused and said she would not cooperate with police on the advice of a family member who is a lawyer, according to the police report.

Police said that shortly after the rape was reported, the victim filed a protection order against the teen, and when he violated the order, he was taken into custody and removed from the facility. 'school.

The victim's and suspect's clothing, cell phones, electronic communications, surveillance video and DNA evidence were collected as evidence in this case.

The defendant faced a maximum sentence of four years in DYS prison. Defense attorney Joe Ohlin asked for a stiff sentence in sex offender counseling and treatment. He said his client was remorseful and wanted to improve through treatment.

“He regrets what he put the victim through,” Ohlin said. “That’s the person he wants to be.”

Juvenile prosecutor Anissa Modarelli asked for a three-year sentence, saying the defendant had behaved poorly while in juvenile detention and had not shown he could be trusted to behave if given a treatment while he was not in detention.

She said the defendant was arrested last month with a tablet on which he admitted trying to access pornography and staff informed her he was trying to access social media. Modarelli said she was concerned he was trying to contact the victim, in violation of a no-contact order.

“He still can’t comply with the detention rules,” Modarelli said.

Modarelli also read a statement from the victim, who was present. In the statement, the victim said she suffers from anxiety and depression, has trouble trusting people and has trouble sleeping as she relives the attack every night.

“Every night I lie with flashbacks of what happened,” the statement said.

The victim also said in her statement that she had lost weight since the attack and had to take an appetite pill to help her eat enough to gain weight.

She also said some fellow students had teased her since the attack became known.

“Because I go to a small school in a small town, everyone knows what happened to me,” the statement said. “It’s going to take me a long time to get over what happened to me.”

The defendant apologized and said he wanted a chance to prove he could get better.

“I want to be better,” he said.

Magistrate Romano Melone, however, said that whenever the accused had been given a reprieve in the past, he had broken the court's rules. She said he had violated a civil protection order, violated the conditions of his house arrest and she also mentioned the incident in which he was caught trying to access the Internet while he was in custody at the juvenile justice center.

She also said a risk assessment prepared for the court shows the defendant is at high risk of re-offending. She said he was able to receive treatment and counseling while in DYS custody.

“I cannot trust you to carry out this treatment outside,” said magistrate Romano Melone. “You need help understanding that your actions have consequences. You need to connect this.