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Man sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted rape
YOUNGSTOWN
A city man convicted of the attempted rape of a female acquaintance more than a year ago will spend the next decade behind bars.
Sanjuan Smith, 43, of Almyra Avenue, appeared Tuesday before Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for sentencing on charges of kidnapping, attempted rape and felonious assault.
Smith initially had been charged with two counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping, and felonious assault. In July, he entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors wherein he agreed to plead guilty to the attempted rape, kidnapping and felonious assault charges.
Smith was facing up to 27 years in prison on the charges, but prosecutors, under the terms of the plea agreement, recommended a 10-year prison term.
The 28-year-old female victim, who left the courtroom in tears after the plea agreement in July, spoke to the court about her feelings concerning the case. She became emotional again speaking about the incident.
Judge Evans sentenced Smith to six years in prison for the kidnapping, two years in prison for the attempted rape and two years in prison for the felonious assault. All three prison terms are to be served consecutively for a total of 10 years.
A woman identified as Smith’s mother also was emotional during the hearing. The woman remained in court sobbing after the sentence was handed down.
Smith was arrested after a 28-year-old female showed up at the downtown police station in June 2011, badly beaten and asking officers for help.
Police went to the woman’s Market Street home about 8 a.m. and found Smith sleeping inside.
The woman told police Smith came to her home, and the couple engaged in consensual sex, but Smith became enraged when he looked in her cellphone and found names and text messages from other men.
According to police reports, Smith attacked the woman, striking her multiple times.
The woman said Smith then made her perform various sex acts against her will and refused to let her leave the home. The woman said she ran out of the home to the police station after Smith went to sleep.