43
Man gets 10 years on rape counts
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A man accused of raping two women in August was sentenced to 10 years in prison at his hearing in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Matthew Dubose, 28, of Norwood and Catalina avenues, entered guilty pleas Monday before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum to four counts of rape and single counts of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.
He is charged with raping a woman Aug. 18 and driving her to another city and leaving her there and breaking into a St. Louis Avenue home Aug. 28 and raping a woman there.
Court records show Dubose had to register as a sexual offender in 2007 after being convicted of sexual contact with a minor.
The sentence was an agreed upon by Natasha Frenchko, an assistant county prosecutor, and defense attorney Tom Zena. The agreement calls for a 10-year sentence on each of the six felony counts, all to run concurrently to one another and a misdemeanor count of assault for which Dubose received a 180-day jail sentence, that will run concurrent with the felony sentences.
Three of the rape counts stem from the Aug. 18 incident, and the other one stems from the Aug. 28 incident.
Frenchko said of one of the victims was pleased with the agreement but chose not to address the court. The other victim, however, had Frenchko read a statement from her to Judge Krichbaum where she asked for the maximum sentence and to forgo the plea agreement because of the trauma she has suffered since she was attacked.
“She can’t sleep at night. She doesn’t allow visitors in her home,” Frenchko said of that victim. “Something changed that evening.”
Judge Krichbaum said he realizes the victim is suffering and will probably be affected by the crime for the rest of her life, but there was no guarantee Dubose would have been convicted if the case had gone to trial. He said with a plea agreement there is at least some certainty he will be punished for what he did and will be in prison for a substantial time.
“The only good thing about an agreed-upon resolution of the case is it ends the uncertainity,” Judge Krichbaum said.
Dubose did not say much but did tell Judge Krichbaum he is confused.
“It’s weird,” Dubose said. “I feel I shouldn’t be held responsible for some of the things that did happen. It’s crazy.”
Dubose was given credit for 291 days he has served in the county jail since his arrest.