POLAND — A teenager will spend at least a year in juvenile prison after admitting to rape and several other charges.

Mahoning County Juvenile Court Magistrate Karen Romano-Melone imposed the sentence Tuesday on Alvin Jefferies, 18, of Poland, who was accused of raping a ninth grader inside the Poland Seminary High School auditorium Dec. 4.

The term struck a balance between the defense’s request for outpatient sex offender therapy and the prosecution’s recommendation for three years in an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility, where he also will receive counseling.

“You do need treatment, but I cannot trust you to do that on the outside,” Romano-Melone said. “You need help to understand that your actions have consequences. You need to connect that, and until you do, it’s going to be a rough road for you.”

In addition, Jefferies was ordered to have no contact with the girl or her family for at least the next three years and must register as a Tier-1 sex offender, requiring annual registration for the next 10 years.

Prosecutor Anissa Modarelli read a statement by the girl, who stated that she has since suffered from depression and anxiety and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome; and that her relationships with family and friends have been negatively affected because “they feel like they have to walk on eggshells around me.”

She said she has flashbacks and nightmares and cannot sleep or eat regularly, and has even considered suicide.

The girl said she has been made fun of by classmates and that teachers do not seem to care about the reasons behind her lagging academic performance.

According to the police report, the girl, then 14, claimed that Jefferies filmed himself sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. She further stated in the report that Jefferies physically and sexually assaulted her off school grounds as well.

She said he threatened to show the video to others if she reported the assaults.

The rapes occurred between Nov. 6 and Dec. 4, 2023, when the girl filed a police report. She obtained a civil protection order on Dec. 8, which Jeffries violated within the week. Modarelli said he violated it multiple times between Dec. 9 and Dec. 27.

He was arrested on Dec. 28.

On Feb. 19, Jefferies was granted judicial release, on electronically-monitored house arrest, with a safety contract that forbade him from using the internet, among other rules. He was arrested again on Feb. 27, after he was found to have violated it by attempting to log on.

After a police investigation and an interview with the Child Advocacy Center at Akron Children’s Hospital, the girl met with Modarelli on Jan 10, and charges were filed.

Within the past month, since his plea on May 7, he was caught attempting to access the internet again in detention. When confronted, Jefferies said he was trying to access pornography, but the jail’s IT staff determined he actually was trying to log onto social media. Modarelli said she believed he was again trying to contact the girl.

Jefferies was originally charged with eight counts of rape, six counts of assault, 13 counts of pandering obscenity of a minor or impaired person and three counts of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance.

Additional charges, including 10 counts of telephone harassment and 10 counts of violation of a protection order, were later added to the case.

Last month, Jefferies pleaded admission — the juvenile court equivalent of a guilty plea — to one count of rape, a first-degree felony; pandering of obscenity involving a minor and pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, both second-degree felonies; menacing by stalking, a fourth-degree felony; one count of assault; and two counts each of violating a protection order and telecommunications harassment, all first-degree misdemeanors.

Romano-Melone suspended the sentences for all but the rape charge, but Modarelli said all of those sentences will be used as leverage against him, and can be reimposed by ODYS if he misbehaves in detention.

Jefferies could be incarcerated up to his 21st birthday. If he violates his sex offender registration, it would result in adult charges.

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