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Newton Falls man gets 33 years in prison for sex offenses against two girls
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
For the third time this month, a defendant in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court has been sentenced to 30 years or more in prison for sex offenses against one or more children.
Mark E. Carnes, 55, of Maple Street in Newton Falls was sentenced Thursday to 33 years after pleading guilty earlier to five counts of having unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, five counts of compelling prostitution and 11 counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.
Prosecutors said over five years, he sexually assaulted one girl starting at age 13, and directed that girl and a girl two years younger to send naked pictures of themselves to him.
The compelling prostitution charges relate to Carnes holding food, clothing and shelter “for ransom,” requiring the older girl to submit to sex acts to get those basic necessities, said Gabe Wildman, assistant county prosecutor.
Five counts of rape were dropped in exchange for Carnes pleading guilty to the other charges, Wildman said. He agreed to drop the rape counts because it might have been difficult to prove that Carnes used force, Wildman said.
“Mark Carnes, you stole the innocence of two young children to satisfy your own perverse sexual desire,” Judge Ronald Rice said during sentencing.
Judge Rice also sentenced Brian McGhee, 44, of Weathersfield Township on Nov. 5 to 39 years to life for raping a girl on nearly a daily basis over four years.
Judge Peter Kontos sentenced Tyler Aikens, 19, of Parkman Road Southwest to 30 years to life in prison Monday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court for sex crimes against a 10-year-old boy.
Meanwhile, Judge Rice sentenced Aundre L. Armstrong, 41, of Belvedere Ave. Southeast, Thursday to eight years in prison for a series of probation violations.
Armstrong was sentenced to probation in 2009 after being convicted of burglary for having broken into an ex-girlfriend’s home multiple times. Judge John Stuard, now deceased, told Armstrong he was facing up to eight years in prison if he violated his probation, but he remained out of prison despite probation violations in 2010 and 2011, prosecutors said.
Armstrong violated probation several more times more recently through new charges, including burglary, abduction, violating a temporary protection order and drug possession.