MAHONING COUNTY Two men face prison time for raping children
Both men originally faced life imprisonment upon conviction.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Scranton Buchanan and John Daniels come from different backgrounds and different communities, but when they appeared Friday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court they had one thing in common: They are both going to prison for raping children.
Judge James C. Evans sentenced Buchanan, 62, of Willis Avenue, to 16 years in prison for raping a girl under 13 and also for having sexual contact with her.
Dawn Krueger, an assistant county prosecutor, recommended the term.
Buchanan was indicted in July 2004 on three counts of rape of a child under 13 with threat of force, which carries a life sentence, and three counts of gross sexual imposition, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
In January, after a plea agreement between defense lawyer John P. Laczko and Krueger, language was removed from the original indictment that would have carried the life imprisonment penalty.
In exchange for that agreement, Buchanan withdrew his innocent pleas and pleaded guilty.
At Buchanan's sentencing hearing, the victim's mother read a letter from her daughter. "You were like a grandfather to me, but grandfathers wouldn't do this to their granddaughters," the mother read. The letter added the victim forgave Buchanan so she could move on with her life, but also contained this line: "I never want to see your hideous face again."
The mother then turned slightly to face Buchanan and said: "I trusted you with my most prized possession. Trust is a privilege and honor, and you violated that trust."
Mental problems
Laczko said his client has a lengthy history of mental problems, and doctors have determined that he is mildly mentally retarded. The lawyer said one doctor described Buchanan as someone who "spent his entire life trying to live day to day without really having the ability to deal with appropriate societal behavior."
Laczko asked the judge for a more lenient sentence, saying that giving Buchanan 16 years in prison, at his age, would be tantamount to a death sentence.
Buchanan said: "What I admitted to, I'm sorry with all my heart. I still love that family and that child with all my heart."
Judge Evans said, however, that after reading the presentence report on Buchanan, which contained information on the rapes, he couldn't give out a lighter sentence.
"The actions that took place with that child are disgusting," Judge Evans told Buchanan. "This child will have [terrible] memories of what happened to her from someone she trusted and loved."
He sentenced Buchanan to eight years on the first rape charge and eight years on the second rape. Those two charges will be served consecutively.
Time on the third rape charge (eight years) and the three gross sexual imposition charges (one year on each) will be served concurrently with the 16-year sentence.
The judge also ruled that Buchanan be labeled a sexually oriented offender, meaning he must give his address to the sheriff in the county in which he lives if he is released from prison, and he also is prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of a school.
Daniels' sentencing delayed
In Daniels' case, he pleaded guilty to raping a child under 13 with threat of force, and Judge Evans delayed his sentencing pending a presentence report by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority.
Krueger recommended a penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after Daniels serves 10 years. Krueger said he raped the child Feb. 19, 2004.
A plea agreement between Krueger and Daniels' lawyer Martin Yavorcik removed language that would have given Daniels life imprisonment without parole. Krueger told Judge Evans the family was in agreement with the deal.
Daniels, 35, of Lowellville, also pleaded guilty Feb. 28 to a child rape charge in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court and is awaiting sentencing. He also faces a penalty of 10 years to life there.
Krueger recommended that whatever penalty the judge metes out to Daniels run concurrently with the sentence from Trumbull County.
She also recommended Daniels be listed as a sexual predator, which means he must register with the sheriff in the county where he lives every 90 days for the rest of his life. The sheriff then will notify the community in what neighborhood Daniels resides.