Diamond man gets 31 years to life in prison for raping young girl

YOUNGSTOWN — A Diamond man who was convicted of four counts of rape and four counts of gross sexual imposition against a young female relative has been sentenced to 31 years to life in prison.

Michael Skidmore, 36, of Wayland Road, drew the sentence today from Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for the offenses he committed against the girl between 2002 and 2006 when she was between the ages of 12 and 15.

After deliberating for almost six hours at the end of a four-day trial last month, a jury convicted Skidmore of those charges, but it acquitted him of two rape counts and two gross sexual imposition counts pertaining to the time when the girl was 10 and 11.

Judge Sweeney imposed a mandatory life prison term for the rape that occurred when the girl was 12. That sentence carries parole eligibility after 10 years.

The judge imposed three consecutive seven-year prison terms on the other rape counts to be served after the 10 years-to-life term for the first rape. Sentences for the gross sexual impositions will be concurrent with the time to be served for the rapes, the judge said.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.