TRUMBULL COUNTY Boys' rapist sentenced to life

The convicted rapist will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years in prison.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A 36-year-old Cleveland Heights man who admitted to raping two boys is sentenced to life in prison.
Mark Allen Collister was sentenced shortly after he pleaded guilty to 53 counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition Tuesday in the courtroom of Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
"This is one of the most disgusting acts," Judge Logan told Collister. "You gave both these young boys life sentences. They will have to deal with this their entire life, so it's only fitting that you get life in prison."
Eligible for parole
Collister will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years, court officials said.
Collister, a former security guard, and his attorney, Anthony Consoldane of the Ohio Public Defender's Commission, declined to comment. Collister kept his head down for the majority of the court proceeding.
Collister raped two boys, ages 9 and 11, said Tom Wrenn, an assistant Trumbull County prosecutor.
Collister was a friend of the boys' family, of Howland, and would come to the area to visit and watch the children, Consoldane said.
"He is also facing similar charges in Cleveland Heights for having sexual contact with these victims there as well," Wrenn said. He did not know if Collister watched any other children.
The judge also found that Collister will be labeled a sexual predator if he is released from prison. The label means Collister will have to register with the sheriff's department where he lives and his neighbors will be told that he has been found to be a sexual predator.
The prosecutor also credited Detective Frank Dillon of the Howland Township Police Department for his work on the case. He noted that Dillon was able to get Collister to confess the crimes.
sinkovich@vindy.com