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Youngstown man gets 9 years for child rape
By Joe Gorman
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 girl 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.
Frenchko told Judge Lou D’Apolito the attacks all occurred in the family home, and the plea came after extensive negotiations. She asked for a sentence of 12 years because of where the crimes occurred and also because of the relationship between Lewis and the victim.
“This is a person who is supposed to protect them from all others,” Frenchko said. “Instead, he victimized them for years and years and years.”
Lewis’ attorney Paul Conn asked for a lighter sentence of six years. He said Lewis has a minimal criminal record, is a veteran and his pre-sentence investigation listed his risk of re-offending as zero. Conn also said because of his client’s age, he will be in his late 50s or early 60s when he is released from prison.
Lewis offered a brief apology before he was sentenced.
He also was given credit for 259 days spent in the county jail waiting for his case to be resolved.