Former Mahoning County inmate sentenced for kidnapping, raping deputy

MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - A former inmate of the Mahoning County jail was sentenced to prison today after pleading guilty to the rape of a deputy, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced today.

The man, Rondell Lamar Harris, was sentenced to 26 to 31 1/2 years in prison after he pled guilty to rape, kidnapping, tampering with evidence and disrupting public service.

His plea was entered just before his trial was set to start in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

“Even behind bars, a predator remains a predator,” Yost said. “This case exemplifies the dangers that deputies face every day to keep our communities safe.”

Harris will be required to register as a tier 3 sex offender and as a violent offender upon release from prison.

At the time of the attack, on May 5, 2022, he was being held in the Mahoning County jail on charges related to an incident the occurred while he was previously incarcerated at the Ohio State Penitentiary.

Harris pulled the deputy into a cell, and assaulted, strangled and raped her, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.