Brandon Schultheis, 37, of Salem, left, appears with attorney David Rouzzo for a plea hearing in Judge Rice's court Tuesday. Schultheis was given a 15-year to life sentence for a multi-count sex with minors case.

WARREN — A Salem man who told the judge he has a “slight mental disability” pleaded guilty Tuesday to 18 felony counts, including 12 rape charges involving three children in Liberty.

Brandon Schultheis, 37, of 193 W. Fourth St., Salem, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison by Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice. Rice also labeled Schultheis a Tier 3 sexual offender, which means if he is released from prison, he will have to register his address with the county sheriff every 90 days for life.

According to court records, the case included 14 counts of rape and six counts of gross sexual imposition. According to terms of the plea agreement, two of the rape counts were dropped. The indictment states the victims are two girls, ages 11 and 12, and one boy, 10.

The charges originally were filed Jan. 23 by the Liberty Police Department.

According to court records, Schultheis’ attorney David Rouzzo on June 29 had asked for his client to be tested to determine competency to stand trial. Rice announced prior to the plea hearing Tuesday that on Aug. 18, the Forensic Psychiatric Center of Austintown filed that the defendant was competent.

Rouzzo said the plea agreement was reached after a lot of hard work on the part of himself and Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman.

“This has been a very difficult case,” Rouzzo told the judge.

Rouzzo said he went over the written charges with the defendant, who has a learning disability.

Wildman said the defendant showed a “pattern of conduct” that included the touching, abuse and rape of the minor children, who were witnesses of each other’s abuse.

The victims did not wish to give an impact statement in court, Wildman said.

A Trumbull County grand jury indicted Schultheis on April 2, court records show. According to Trumbull County Jail records, the defendant has been incarcerated since Feb. 19.