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WARREN -- A Howland man faces a maximum prison term of 33 years after he pleaded guilty to two first-degree rape charges Wednesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
The man was accused of raping a woman at a Weathersfield party in May 2021.
Larry D. Dirando, 19, of Shady Lane NE, appeared with his attorney, public defender Carlo A. Ciccone, to plead guilty to an amended indictment. Judge W. Wyatt McKay is expected to sentence Dirando after he undergoes a background investigation conducted by the countyás adult probation department.
When he is sentenced in about six to eight weeks when that report is finished, Dirando faces a mandatory prison term and will be labeled a Tier 3 sexual offender which means he will be registering his address with the sheriffás office four times per year for the rest of his life.
Assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber said the case was investigated by Weathersfield police. A 19-year-old woman reported she had unwanted sexual relations which a man at a party of Salt Springs Road on May 30, 2021. The woman went to the hospital and DNA evidence had linked the defendant to the crime, Barber stated. Evidence also included bloody clothing and witnesses from the party.
The plea hearing had headed off a scheduled jury trial in McKayás court that would have started Monday.
Jail records show that Dirando had been incarcerated for about six weeks after the case was made against him. He had posted a $50,000 bond in late July 2021. McKay continued bond and the defendant remained free until sentencing.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com