Joshua Vititoe, 39, of Lima, was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison on a charge of rape. He pleaded guilty earlier this month to assaulting a female acquaintance by digitally penetrating her as she slept.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man with a lengthy history of criminal convictions was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this month to a first-degree felony count of rape.
Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser imposed an additional 630 days of prison time for Joshua Vititoe, who was under post-release control by the Ohio Parole Authority for a gross sexual imposition charge when he sexually assaulted a female acquaintance inside a Lima motel on Dec. 8 of last year.
Vititoe, 39, entered into an 11th-hour agreement with prosecutors on the day of his jury trial earlier this month when he pleaded guilty to a charge of rape, the sole count in the indictment against him.
The case revolved around an incident that occurred at the Country Inn on Elida Road when a female reported to the sheriff’s office that Vititoe sexually assaulted her by digital penetration when she allowed him to spend the night with her.
Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Cecily Stewart played a portion of that 911 call during Thursday’s sentencing hearing. The victim can be heard crying as she told dispatchers she had “just been molested in her sleep.” Stewart said when prosecutors met with the woman she continued to display signs of mental anguish. She said the woman was “homeless and in a vulnerable position” when the incident occurred.
“The victim asked the defendant to stay with her because she was afraid someone might try and hurt her (at the motel), and that’s exactly what the defendant did,” Stewart told the court.
Vititoe initially denied any sexual activity but later did admit digital penetration had occurred, according to investigators, court documents show.
Addressing Kohlrieser prior to sentencing, Vititoe said he has struggled with mental problems and asked the judge to send him to a prison location where he could receive treatment “to help me break this cycle.”
In the same breath, however, Vititoe said he felt the criminal justice system was working against him. He cited as an example the fact that Kohlrieser was the prosecutor in an earlier gross sexual imposition conviction.
“The City of Lima has been stacked against me,” he said.
The judge said she had no recollection of Vititoe’s earlier case.
As a Tier III sex offender Vititoe after his release from prison will be required to register with local authorities every 90 days for the remainder of his life.
