Blackburn called sexual assault an "epidemic" on college campuses.
Alvaro Mangual-Manfredi, 25, pleaded guilty last week to sexual battery following an incident that occurred behind the Red Brick Sports Pub last August, according to the Athens County Prosecutor’s office.
Manfredi was charged with one count of sexual battery for sexually assaulting a female Ohio University student on Aug. 7 behind Red Brick Tavern, 14 N. Court St. The attack occurred around 2:27 a.m.
The victim had a blood alcohol content count of .238 at the time of the incident, which is three times the legal driving limit, said Mickey Prisley, Mangual-Manfredi’s defense attorney. The victim was transported to the hospital after the attack. Mangual-Manfredi was also under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Mangual-Manfredi was sentenced to two years in the state penal system in the Athens County Common Pleas Court Feb. 17.
Shortly before the trial, Mangual-Manfredi agreed to take a plea deal in hopes that his sentence would be shorter. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of five years for sexual battery, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
“This was a situation with a lot of witnesses and a lot of scientific evidence,” Prisley said about prompting Mangual-Manfredi to take the plea deal.
“He would have seen a maximum sentence of five years if he had done the trial,” Prisley said. “By taking the plea he was given only two years.”
Prisley also said that because of the jail credit Mangual-Manfredi had already accumulated since his arrest, Mangual-Manfredi only has to serve for 15 more months.
Although Mangual-Manfredi might see less jail time than originally expected, he will spend five years on parole after his release. He will also be seen as a Tier III sex offender. That means he will have to report his status to the sheriff’s office in the county he resides every 90 days for the rest of his life.
Following many requests from Ohio University students demanding a crack down on rape and other sexual assault cases on local law enforcement’s part, Athens County saw two sexual battery cases come to a close within one week.
Dedrick Peterson, former member of the Marching 110 was convicted to five years in prison for three counts of sexual battery, according to a recent Post report. His sentencing occurred the same week as Mangual-Manfredi’s.
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“I think it shows individuals will be held responsible for their actions,” Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said. “Over-consuming alcohol is not an excuse for behavior.”
“(Sexual assault) is an epidemic on college campuses,” Blackburn said, adding that Athens County Prosecutor’s Office is implementing several trainings for law enforcement to handle these kinds of cases.
@chelseasickk
cs117913@ohio.edu
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