Ex-Hubbard mayor pleads guilty to child sex charges
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WARREN -- The former mayor of Hubbard could face life in prison after he pleaded guilty Friday morning to 20 counts of child sex charges connected to the assault of a girl under the age of 7.
Richard Keenan, 66, appeared before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Peter J. Kontos to plead guilty to eight counts of rape, four counts of attempted rape and eight counts of gross sexual imposition, each carrying life sentences. The victim was a young girl known to Keenan who was assaulted from Sept. 12, 2013, when she was 4, through June 21, 2016, according to the indictment.
Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman said he believed the state accomplished what the family wanted with Keenan pleading guilty to the charges so the victim did not have to testify.
"I think we did the right thing by not having to bring the victim in to testify," Wildman said.
Keenan will undergo a pre-sentence investigation that may take two to six weeks and he will be sentenced sometime at the end of April, Wildman said. Until Keenan is sentenced, he will be free on a $75,000 bond.
Keenan would be eligible for parole after serving 10 years of his sentence, but he would be classified as a Tier III sex offender and would have to register with the sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life. However, Wildman said his office has a history of opposing parole for offenders in such cases.
"Our position is the life sentence," Wildman said. "It gives the victim some closure."
Keenan's attorney, J. Gerald Ingram, offered no comment afterward about Keenan's plea and family members angrily tried to block the media from photographing Keenan as he left the courtroom.
Wildman said this was because the case was difficult on everyone involved, including the families of both the victim and the defendant.
Keenan served as mayor of Hubbard from Jan. 5, 2010, until Dec. 31, 2011.
ddye@tribtoday.com