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Lordstown teens charged in rape
By Denise Dick
WARREN
Two Lordstown high school students are facing rape charges, accused of inappropriate sexual contact with a young girl.
Lordstown Village Police Chief Brent Milhoan said William Wright of Mae Drive and Michael Lee of Lyntz Road, both 18, are charged with two counts of rape each. Their indictment says the girl is 12.
Neither man could be reached to comment.
Warren Atty. Samuel F. Bluedorn, who represents Lee, said his client hasn’t been in trouble with authorities before. He declined to comment regarding the rape charges.
Wright is represented by Atty. Benjamin Joltin of Canfield, who couldn’t be reached.
They were secretly indicted Thursday by a Trumbull County grand jury. Police arrested both men in their respective driveways Thursday without incident, Milhoan said.
Both pleaded innocent when they appeared Friday before Judge W. Wyatt McKay of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. They were released after posting $100,000 bond each.
A pretrial hearing is set for Tuesday for Lee before Judge Andrew Logan. Wright’s pretrial hearing is set for Wednesday before Judge McKay.
Both are juniors at Lordstown High School and play on the school’s basketball team, but Milhoan said the alleged activity occurred at a home.
“It’s not related to the school [or the team] in any way,” the chief said.
Both men face the possibility of a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
“We were notified on Feb. 11 by the parents of the victim, who is a female under the age of 13, of alleged inappropriate sexual activity,” the chief said.
Police investigated, and the case was directly presented to the grand jury, meaning it did not go through a lower court but proceeded directly to common pleas court.
Each man is accused of engaging in activity with the girl twice late last year. Milhoan said the charges don’t involve forcible rape.