Thegatewaynews.com - Life sentence given in rape conviction; Incident happened at local business

by Marci Piltz

Record-Courier staff writer

Ravenna -- A 27-year-old Akron man was sentenced to life in prison April 17 after pleading guilty in Portage County Common Pleas Court to raping a 7-year-old girl who visited his booth at the Streetsboro Flea Market.

Thomas Morris was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 15 years by Portage County Common Pleas Judge John Enlow. Just prior to sentencing, Morris had pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony charge of rape.

Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said Morris received a mandatory life sentence because the victim was under the age of 10 when the incident occurred in March.

Morris was indicted March 13 on one count each of rape, a first degree felony; attempted rape, a first-degree felony; and three counts of gross sexual imposition, all third-degree felonies. The gross sexual imposition charges against him were dismissed as a result of his guilty plea, said Vigluicci.

Vigluicci said since the charge Morris pleaded guilty to included a specification that the victim was under the age of 10, Morris faced a mandatory life sentence and therefore did not have to undergo a pre-sentence investigation.

According to Streetsboro Det. Brian Shaffer, police were called to the Streetsboro Flea Market on Route 303 on March 1, responding to a report of a child having been molested.

Shaffer said when police arrived on the scene, they interviewed the child's mother and father, who told them the male suspect was a man who operated a computer parts booth at the flea market. The victim told police the man, later identified as Morris, had asked her to come to his booth to play a card game on a computer, said Shaffer.

While she was playing, she told police he touched her inappropriately, according to Shaffer.

The girl told police Morris told her to keep it a secret, Shaffer said. The mother said her daughter told her about the incident a short time later, Shaffer said.

While police found and spoke to Morris, Shaffer said the parents of the victim took her to Akron Children's Hospital to be examined.

Morris initially denied the allegations to police, Shaffer said, admitting only that she had come to his booth to play on the computer. He told police he had operated a booth at the flea market since September and that the victim had previously played on his computer.

On March 4, Shaffer said Morris agreed to submit to a polygraph test. Morris called back later that day, telling detectives he would not pass one and admitted touching the girl, Shaffer said. He was arrested and taken to Portage County Jail that day, he added.

Asked why he admitted to the acts, Morris told police he had to confess because he was "sick to his stomach," according to Shaffer.

Editor's note: The Gateway News Editor Bob Gaetjens contributed to this story.