Staff photo / Ed Runyan Jordan C. Holt, left, pleaded guilty Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to one count of attempted felonious assault, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to one year of probation. His attorney is Nick Cerni.

YOUNGSTOWN — Jordan C. Holt, 20, of Boardman, was sentenced Monday to one year of probation and no prison time after pleading guilty to attempted felonious assault, a third-degree felony. He was indicted on two rape counts that could have resulted in a long prison sentence if convicted.

Holt spent 185 days in the Mahoning County jail awaiting trial.

Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Dinsio told Judge Anthony Donofrio the reason prosecutors were willing to accept a plea on a lesser charge and recommend probation is, “This case would be somewhat difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt because the victim did not know she had been raped.”

Dinsio added, “Someone outside the room heard something going on in the bedroom and never went in and then told the victim the next morning.” Dinsio said she thinks the probationary sentence is “reasonable given the circumstances.”

Holt’s attorney, Nick Cerni, agreed with Dinsio’s description of the events that took place, adding that “there was a third party who didn’t call police the night of. There was no forensic evidence to corroborate any sexual interaction.”

The circumstances of the Feb. 13 incident in Boardman were provided in a Boardman police report that described Holt as a woman, the victim as a woman and a third party at the house as a man. The victim was described as also having a “(man’s) name.”

The report stated that police were called to St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital on Feb. 14 for a report of a sexual assault of a woman by Holt. A male roommate of the victim also was there, and they were all drinking, the report states.

The report states that Holt had been living in the same home with the male roommate and the victim for about six weeks. Holt was staying on the couch. The two others had their own bedrooms, the report states.

The victim said she remembered a loud argument with Holt, then waking up nude and suffering from soreness and bleeding in sensitive areas. The police report noted bruising on the victim’s wrists and neck. The victim said she drank heavily for about three hours that night.

The male roommate stated that Holt made repeated sexual advances toward him that night, so the roommate sat in his vehicle to avoid Holt. When he returned, the apartment was in disarray with blood in the bathroom. The victim and Holt were drinking and yelling.

Several minutes later, the roommate said he heard Holt on the phone with someone, and thinks he heard Holt say Holt was having sex with the victim, then heard Holt and the victim yelling at each other again.

The report states that the male roommate told police he opened his bedroom door and saw Holt restraining the victim.

The male roommate said he heard glass breaking in the kitchen and heard Holt call the victim vulgar names and believed Holt was raping the victim. The male roommate said he heard Holt telling the victim to let Holt have sex with her while the victim was crying.

The male roommate said he opened the door a while later to find Holt and the victim passed out on top of one another, the report states.

It was confusing Monday during the plea hearing because the attorneys and Donofrio referred to Holt as a man, with Donofrio referring to the defendant as “Mr. Holt.”

After the hearing, Cerni said the incident involved “three biological females transitioning (to male). My client is from out of town, met these people through social media, was hanging out with them.”

Cerni said all three people are about the same age. Holt and the victim both reported that Holt and the victim “blacked out” while together in the bedroom, Cerni said.

Cerni pointed out that the third-degree felony attempted felonious assault does not require Holt to register as a sex offender because his plea was not to a sex offense. “My client maintains … innocence, that it was completely consensual,” Cerni said.

Holt did not offer any remarks when it was his turn to speak prior to sentencing. He could have gotten up to 36 months in prison and could still go to prison if he violates any terms of his probation, Donofrio said.