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WARREN -- A Niles man has been sentenced 30 days in jail and given five years probation in connection to an assault involving two girls.
Joseph Norris, 35, was sentenced Wednesday by Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Sean O'Brien, who also ordered Norris to participate in the Northeast Ohio Community Alternative Program.
Norris was charged in a secret indictment in March 2023 on four counts of fourth-degree gross sexual imposition.
Assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman said the decision to amend the charges came after consulting with the victims, who, he said, asked for the amendment to avoid the stress of testifying in court.
"You've taken two young girls and violated them and ruined any sense of security that they have. You introduced them to drugs and alcohol, you touched them inappropriately," O'Brien said, adding that no matter the sentence he gave Norris, the two young victims would have lifetime scars.
Wildman read an impact statement from one of the girls to the court. According to the statement, Norris introduced her to marijuana, alcohol and e-cigarettes. Also, according to her statement, Norris, for two years, would get her high to where she was unable to comprehend and touch her.
According to the statement, the girl attempted to take her own life three times, and had been in and out of mental hospitals five times over a two-year period.
"I will never have a normal life. I will never have a normal relationship without being scared. I will never be able to see the world the same way. No amount of time or money or whatever. Give me peace of mind or bring back my child's innocence," Wildman said, reading from the statement.
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