WARREN Predator status to be determined

The defendant will be sentenced April 6.
WARREN -- A judge in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court will soon decide if a man convicted of two counts of rape and several other charges should be labeled a sexual predator.
Judge Peter Kontos said Thursday that an April 6 hearing will be held to determine if Jerry Brazzon will have to register as a sexual predator when he is released from prison.
A jury found Brazzon guilty Wednesday of two counts of rape, two counts of showing pornographic films to a minor and one count of gross sexual imposition. The jury, which began hearing the case Monday, deliberated three hours before reaching the verdict.
Registration required: If Brazzon is determined to be a sexual predator, he would have to register with the county sheriff's department after his prison release, court officials said. During the registration process, Brazzon would have to tell sheriff officials where he lived and officials would then notify Brazzon's neighbors that he is a sexual predator.
Atty. Anthony Consoldane, who represents Brazzon, said he will object to Brazzon's being labeled a sexual predator.
Judge Kontos said Brazzon will be sentenced April 6 after the hearing.
Thomas Wrenn, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor, said Brazzon could face 10 years to life in prison on each rape count, up to five years on the count of gross sexual imposition and up to 18 months on each charge of showing pornographic films to a minor.
Wrenn noted that the victim in the case is a 6-year-old girl that Brazzon knew.
This is not the first time Brazzon has been accused of sexually related charges involving a minor.
Brazzon pleaded guilty in 1999 to a charge of gross sexual imposition. Wrenn said the 1999 charge accused Brazzon of having sexual contact with a 9-year-old girl he knew. Brazzon was sentenced to 120 days in the county jail and five years' probation for that crime.