Man found guilty of 2nd sex offense with minor

10/19/2005

NAPOLEON - A 23-year-old Liberty Center man released from prison 10 days ago after eight months behind bars for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in Henry County was convicted yesterday of gross sexual imposition with a different young girl.

Roger P. Irelan, Jr.'s, bond was revoked, and he was sent from Henry County Common Pleas Court to the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio near Stryker after the jury returned its guilty verdict from the trial that began Monday.

The girl, who is still under 13, was one of four witnesses to testify for the state. She reported this year the incident that happened in February, 2000, in Napoleon.

Irelan's defense called three witnesses.

He faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A presentence investigation was ordered.

Irelan is to be back in court today for a pretrial on a charge related to his classification as a sex offender. He was indicted April 4 for failing to notify sheriffs in Henry and Van Wert counties when he allegedly moved from Henry County to Van Wert County early this year.

Ten days after that indictment, he was booked into the Ohio prison system to serve his term for unlawful sexual conduct. That was for a more recent incident than the one that led to yesterday's gross sexual imposition conviction.

He told his jailers at the corrections center yesterday he was unemployed, divorced, and has one child.

In earlier stays there - Irelan has been held in the corrections center six times since 2002 - he typically had said he was unemployed. In 2003, however, he said he was a driver for Marco's Pizza.