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WARREN -- A Burghill man pleaded guilty to six charges Thursday involving his illegal sexual conduct with three girls in Weathersfield.
Elijah D. Peters II, 20, 7740 Thompson Sharpsville Road, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of gross sexual imposition, a count of unlawful sexual contact with a minor and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Upon the order of Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice, Peters will undergo a background investigation by the probation department before sentencing.
Prosecutors stated the case involved three girls investigated by Weathersfield police beginning in January 2021.
Trumbull County 911 reports that on Jan. 13, 2021, Peters was accused of being in the company of a 12-year-old girl, who was reported to have run away from her great-grandmother's Weathersfield home. Prosecutors said the rape and gross sexual imposition charges dealt with the then-12-year-old, while the unlawful sexual contact dealt with another girl victim who was 13 at the time.
Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman said a third girl victim was involved in the sixth charge linked to Peters sending a nude image of himself over the cellphone.
Peters and his attorney, Michael A. Partlow, had agreed to a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison, but Rice said he was concerned about the defendant's mental history and ordered another mental evaluation for Peters.
A date for sentencing has not been set.
Rice said the case also involves a mandatory five-year post-release supervision if prison time is involved. Peters also was declared a Tier 3 sexual offender, which means he will have to register his address with the sheriff's office four times per year for the rest of his life.
Court records show Peters had competency issues earlier in the case. In September 2021, he was evaluated by Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship of University Hospital's Cleveland Medical Center. After that report was released, Rice ordered Peters on Nov. 4, 2021, incompetent to stand trial.
After spending time in Heartland Behavioral Center in Massillon, Rice ruled on June 6 that Peters was competent to stand trial. A jury trial was scheduled to begin on Monday, but Thursday's plea hearing canceled the proceeding.
Peters remains incarcerated in Trumbull County jail.