Saturday, June 12, 2010

Let's Hope For The Maximum....

20 years looming for sex offender

By TOM GIAMBRONI
POSTED: June 12, 2010

LISBON - An East Liverpool man faces a 20-year prison sentence after admitting to raping and sexually molesting his former girlfriend's daughter over a four-year period. He also molested one of her friends while she was spending the night at the house.
Michael Kosonovich, 32, of Holiday Street, is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 16 in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court after pleading guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery and two counts of gross sexual imposition.
Two other rape-by-force charges covering different time periods were dropped as part of the plea deal reached with the county prosecutor's office during Friday's hearing.
According to Assistant County Prosecutor Tim McNicol, the crimes occurred between 2004 and 2009 at the several East Liverpool and Calcutta residences where Kosonovich and his former girlfriend lived with her daughter.
The victim was 9 years old when the crimes began. Kosonovich was accused of raping the girl more than once between May and December 2007 and from January 2008 through December 2009, and sexually molesting her in 2004.
The sexual battery charges covered the period between 2005 through 2009, and have to do with the fact Kosonovich was in a position of authority over her at the time, McNicol said.
The one gross sexual imposition charge has to do with molesting the girl's friend while she spent the night at the house on March 21, 2009. McNicol said Kosonovich molested the girl while she was sleeping.
The charges carry a maximum possible sentence of 36-1/2 years in prison, but McNicol is recommending a 20-year sentence as part of the plea deal.
McNicol said the crimes came to light when the girl told her mother what had been going on, and key evidence was gathered when the girl agreed to call Kosonovich while East Liverpool police recorded the conversation.
"I can't say enough about Don Fickes and Darin Morgan (East Liverpool police detectives). They did an excellent job with this case," he said.
tgiambroni@mojonews.com

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