Man gets 7 years on sex charges

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The victim asked the court not to send the man to prison.

YOUNGSTOWN — John Combis appeared tearful and apologetic in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, but he still will spend the next seven years behind bars.

Combis, 41, of Hopkins Road, Boardman, appeared before Judge John Durkin for sentencing Wednesday afternoon on six counts of gross sexual imposition.

The sentencing recommendation from prosecutors in the plea agreement was seven years, but Natasha Frenchko, an assistant county prosecutor, changed the recommendation to nine years because Combis violated an order not to have contact with the victim, whom he knows.

Combis was initially charged with 12 counts of rape against the teenage girl between June 1, 2006, and May 31, 2007, in his residence. He faced three to 120 years on the original charges.

Prosecutors say the plea agreement was the best way to resolve the case in light of changes that have occurred since Combis was indicted nearly two years ago. Prosecutors said the victim had been recanting her story about the sexual assaults.

Prosecutors allowed the gross-sexual-imposition charge because Combis confessed touching the girl after failing a lie-detector test. The state also has DNA evidence from an area of the house where the girl said the sexual activity had taken place.

Atty. Scott Cochran, representing Combis, asked the court for probation for his client. He told the court that Combis has been married to the same woman for 18 years, and they want the chance to rekindle their family. He also said Combis’ employer will offer him employment if he is given probation.

Combis offered a tearful — sometimes inaudible — statement to the court saying he does not know why he did what he did but said he does not want to do it again. He said the same crime was committed against him when he was a child.

The victim also offered a tearful statement to the court saying Combis is in need of treatment but not time in prison.

Judge Durkin told the girl the situation was not her fault. He encouraged counseling for the girl.

Judge Durkin sentenced Combis to the maximum 18 months on each of the six counts, but said the concurrent and consecutive sentences will be arraigned in such a way that Combis serve only seven years in prison.

The judge also spoke to the fact that Combis has a past felony conviction for a crime against a child.

Court records also show Combis was charged with corruption of a minor in 1991.

He pleaded no contest and was found guilty of that charge.

Judge Peter C. Economus sentenced Combis to 18 months in prison but suspended the sentence.

Combis was placed on two years’ probation with the Adult Parole Authority.

Combis was indicted on the more recent rape charges after the girl told school counselors that Combis had been sexually abusing her. The girl said Combis had been abusing her sexually since she was 6.

At the time of police questioning, the girl could not say how many times she had been abused by Combis but told police the abuse took place about once a week since the initial incident.

Combis was initially arraigned in August 2007, but the case shows 11 postponed court dates since the time of his arraignment.