Michael Lewis gets 9 years for 4 years of child rape; charges dropped against wife

YOUNGSTOWN

A city man was sentenced Friday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to nine years in prison on five counts of rape.

Michael Lewis, 51, originally had been charged with 10 counts of rape, but he pleaded guilty last month to five counts in exchange for prosecutors’ dropping child-endangering charges against his wife.

Lewis was charged with crimes against a relative for a period of four years beginning when the child was 9. He was arrested this February after the child told Lewis’ wife about the attacks and she went to police.

The wife was charged with child endangering because she knew of the attacks but did nothing to stop them, said assistant prosecutor Natasha Frenchko.

Read the complete story in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.