Montpelier man admits guilt in child-rape case

7/1/2005

BRYAN A 29-year-old Montpelier, Ohio, man pleaded guilty yesterday in Williams County Common Pleas Court to five counts of rape of a child.

Each count against Mark Alan Burkhart carries a mandatory life prison term with eligibility for parole after 10 years.

Burkhart, who is to be sentenced July 18, was being held in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio, Stryker.

Burkhart confessed in May to raping a girl over a period of three to five years. She was less than 10 years old and knew Burkhart, authorities said.