Crime

Man found guilty of rape, kidnapping and more in Youngstown case

By Staff Report
A Mahoning County jury found Keontae Thomas guilty of aggravated robbery, two counts of rape and two counts of kidnapping with firearm and sexual motivation specifications.
A Mahoning County jury found Keontae Thomas guilty of aggravated robbery, two counts of rape and two counts of kidnapping with firearm and sexual motivation specifications. Zolnierek Getty Images/iStockphoto

A Mahoning County jury has found Keontae Thomas, 27, guilty on all charges following a three-day jury trial before Judge Maureen Sweeney.

Thomas was convicted of Aggravated Robbery, two counts of Rape, and two counts Kidnapping with an attached Firearm Specification and sexual motivation specification. The jury returned its verdict Wednesday afternoon after deliberating for approximately two hours. The case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Kyle Hilles and Caitlyn Andrews.

The charges stem from a 2022 incident in which Thomas met the victim online and later sexually assaulted and robbed the victim at gunpoint at a home on Youngstown’s South Side. Evidence presented at trial included video captured by a nearby baby monitor.

Thomas will be sentenced at a later date.

Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro credited the Youngstown Police Department and Assistant Prosecutors Hilles and Andrews for their work in presenting the case and securing justice for the victim.