ASHTABULA, Ohio — An Ashtabula man has pled guilty to raping a 12-year-old girl.
On Feb. 25, Eric Bernardo was arrested for six counts of rape.
According to court records, the rapes started in 2017 and occurred until 2019. The victim was 12-years-old when the assaults began.
According to court records, the girl told police that Bernardo began offering to buy her things if she would let him touch her. It progressed into him attempting to touch her under her clothes, until he was able to rape her.
The victim told a friend, who helped her tell her mother what happened.
When Bernardo was confronted by police, he admitted to the crimes.
After hearing a victim impact statement, the court sentenced Bernardo to a stipulated prison term of 25 years.
The plea agreement was reached with the consent of the victim and her family.
