YOUNGSTOWN Sex offender gets prison term

The defendant agreed to being labeled a sexually oriented offender.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 62-year-old West Dennick Street man is going to prison for groping a young girl.
On Monday, Judge Maureen A. Cronin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court sentenced Frank Wilczynski to three years. He had pleaded guilty Oct. 18 to one count of gross sexual imposition.
As part of the plea agreement, a charge of rape and a second count of gross sexual imposition were dismissed.
Assistant prosecutor Dawn Krueger said Wilczynski fondled an 11-year-old female relative in January 2002.
"I only did it one time," Wilczynski repeatedly told Judge Cronin. "I'm sorry for what I done wrong."
Wilczynski said there had been a similar allegation made against him by a girl in Morgantown, W.Va., but he denied touching that girl.
Shorter term
Krueger had recommended a five-year prison sentence, but Judge Cronin said she opted for a shorter term because Wilczynski has no prior criminal convictions.
"This was a delicate case from the beginning," said defense attorney Damian Billak.
He said that there was no medical or physical evidence against Wilczynski and that the victim has previously made similar allegations against other people, which were later proved false.
Billak said that Wilczynski's extremely low IQ classifies him as mentally retarded and that he fears prison inmates will take advantage of him. He asked the judge to place him on probation instead, with tight restrictions, but the judge refused.
"You can't do that to little girls," she told Wilczynski, who admitted touching the girl's genitals.
He's labeled
As part of the plea agreement, Wilczynski agreed to being labeled a sexually oriented offender. That means that after he is released from prison, he must register his address with the sheriff of the county in which he lives.
Krueger said he will be required to register once a year for 10 years.
bjackson@vindy.com