Man gets five years for sex crimes with minors

March 20, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A Poland man was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday for sex crimes he pleaded guilty to committing with two minors.

Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court also labeled 47-year-old Thomas Wilson a Tier II sexual offender during his sentencing on two counts of gross sexual imposition of a minor and two counts of pandering obscenity.

He entered guilty pleas to the charges Jan. 8.

Wilson is accused of committing sex acts with a 12-year-old and 13-year-old girl in the basement of his home, touching their feet and taking video of it on his cellphone. The incidents occurred between November 2012 and June 2013.

Assistant Prosecutor Natasha Frenchko recommended a sentence of five years. The mothers of the victims were in court but did not speak. However, Frenchko said they wanted Judge Krichbaum to know about the trauma inflicted on the girls.

Wilson’s attorney, Kenneth Lewis, asked Judge Krichbaum for a sentence of community control, which was recommended by a psychologist who examined Wilson in a pre-sentence investigation. The investigation noted that Wilson has never had a felony conviction, and that he could be helped and the public protected with intense supervision and treatment for his sexual issues.

Wilson also apologized before he was sen-tenced.

“My actions were wrong,” Wilson said. “I would like to apologize to all involved.”

Judge Krichbaum said he disagreed that a sentence of probation in this case would protect the public because he said that usually does not happen.

“In my years of experience with these types of cases, protecting the public is not easily accomplished through probation,” Judge Krichbaum said.

Wilson was given credit for 185 days served in the county jail since his arrest.