Man charged in Poland Twp. park rape pleads not guilty

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YOUNGSTOWN — A serial rapist accused in a Poland Township park rape pleaded not guilty this morning in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Shawn Wendling, 38, of Hillsville, Pa., faces counts of rape, kidnapping, assault and aggravated robbery in the county.

He was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month in Portage County court for similar assaults.

The investigation began after two women reported sexual assaults on Berlin Lake Trail in Portage County on June 14 and Aug. 13. Both victims reported a male suspect pushed them down an embankment and took their belongings after sexually assaulting them.

DNA testing linked those two incidents to a report of a woman in Poland Township Park who was raped and robbed while jogging Sept. 4.

Wendling remains in the Mahoning County jail without bond. His case was assigned to Judge Anthony D'Apolito.