MAHONING COUNTY Trial begins for man accused of raping young boy

A doctor said the little boy received a sexually transmitted disease.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Jury selection was to begin today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where a 24-year-old city man faces charges that he sexually assaulted a little boy to whom he is related.
Willie E. Jones of East Judson Avenue could be sentenced to life in prison if a jury convicts him of rape, for which a county grand jury indicted him in June 2003.
Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Krueger said Jones is accused of raping the boy from January to December 2002. The abuse was discovered when the boy's mother found warts on his rectal area. She had him examined by a doctor, who said the warts were sexually transmitted.
When the mother questioned the boy, he told her that the defendant was responsible for them. The boy was about 30 months old at the time, Krueger said.
At the request of defense attorney Ronald Knickerbocker, a hearing was to be held this morning for Judge Jack Durkin to determine whether the child is competent to testify during the trial.
Under Ohio law, children under 10 must be evaluated to determine whether they truly understand the facts of what happened, and whether they can accurately and truthfully testify about them in court.
The competency hearing was to be conducted before jury selection.
bjackson@vindy.com