Leavittsburg man pleads guilty to first-degree kidnapping, rape charges
The following cases were handled Thursday before Judge Ronald J. Rice of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court:
- Hunter Hauck, 20, of Kayser Road, Leavittsburg, pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping and rape charges. Hauck, who has a history of mental illness, will be sentenced after he undergoes a background investigation conducted by probation officers. The plea hearing follows Hauck being found competent to stand trial after two separate psychological evaluations, records show. Prosecutors said he could face a maximum prison sentence of 22 to 27-years and must register as a Tier 3 sexual offender as well as a violent offender. Hauck’s case involved a July 2022 incident where 51-year-old female caregiver at a group home for developmental disabled persons was being held at knifepoint where she was forced into a bedroom to perform oral sex on the defendant, according to reports.
- William Walker, 32, of South Street SE, Warren, pleaded guilty to a charge of harassment with a bodily substance, a fifth-degree felony, and he will be sentenced after submitting to a background check by probation officers. Walker was charged after he reportedly spit on a Warren police officer. Prosecutors said evidence against Walker included video of the incident. Walker is being held until sentenced and then he will have to be sent to Athens County to answer a probation violation there, court records show.