Man gets 40-year term in child rape
Victim was less than 10 years old; mom, girl testify in court.
A Kettering man will serve nearly half a century in prison after being found guilty on multiple charges, including child rape.
Mark A. Pheanis, 41, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 years to life with no chance of parole for rape of a child younger than 10 years old, sexual battery and rape by use of force.
“He chose to do what he did like a lion waiting for its prey,” said the victim’s mother. “He knew when and just how to attack my daughter.”
The victim said the incident has caused her to struggle in school, lose friends and harm herself due to depression.
“This man took things from me that I should have decided when I wanted to lose them,” said the victim. “Things that should have been with the man I love in the future, and taken by choice and not force.”
The newspaper does not identify rape victims and their relatives.
Pheanis argued during the sentencing that he was innocent. He said the accusations are false.
“For her to say, ‘This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with’ (is) the biggest betrayal of anything I’ve ever had to deal with. ... I did not do this,” Pheanis said while in tears.
Judge Mary Huffman responded by saying Pheanis’s refusal to admit his guilt only makes it harder for the victim and her family to recover from the pain he has caused.
“Her statement is one of the most mature ones I’ve ever heard,” said Huffman. “She obviously has a clear and keen insight into life that you lack.”
The victim’s mother said she is happy that Pheanis will spend the rest of his life prison, but she will never forget his actions.
“My children and I fear what this man is capable of doing,” the woman said. “Mark Pheanis has given each of us a life sentence.”