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Man sentenced on sex charge
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A West Side man will spend 13 years in prison after being sentenced Friday for an attack on his 8-year-old daughter over the Christmas holiday.
Michael Jones, 29, of Wesley Avenue, seemed to waver, however, and was asked by Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court if he would rather go to trial.
Jones originally was charged with rape in the attack, which would carry a life sentence if convicted. The charge was reduced in a plea offer to spare the victim from testifying, said Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Cantalamessa.
Jones took what is known as an Alford Plea, which means he pleaded guilty but did not admit to the facts in the case. Judge Krichbaum found him guilty.
After Judge Krichbaum made his offer Friday, Jones thought for a moment then said he would stick to his plea deal because he was afraid of being convicted and spending life in prison.
“I can’t take a chance going to prison for the rest of my life,” Jones said.
Jones’ lawyer, Paul Grant, told the judge that Jones’ mother has custody of the girl because the mother has drug-addiction issues. He said Jones has a 9-month-old baby with his girlfriend.
The girlfriend and Jones’ mother both spoke to Krichbaum and asked for mercy.
Jones told Krichbaum he was sorry and said jail has given him time to reflect on who he is, and that if he would have a chance to “improve himself” he would never be back in a courtroom again.
Judge Krichbaum said he was not sure if Jones knew what he was talking about.
“This is not the type of crime where I can have mercy,” the judge said. “This is big time bad stuff. This is an affront to everyone in our community.”
Judge Krichbaum said he agreed with the plea because it spares the victim from testifying but he believed the sentence should be more.
“I can’t imagine anybody doing anything worse than what you did in this case,” he said.