The defendant, 21-year-old Mason Ray Leavitt, entered a plea agreement in October and admitted to three counts of Forcible Sexual Abuse, which is a Second Degree Felony.
On October 28th, Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik suspended prison time for Leavitt, but sentenced him to 364 days in jail for each offense.
The sentences will run consecutively. Leavitt was ordered to report to the jail on November 1st. He will serve the full sentence and not receive any credit for good time or good behavior.
According to the charges filed by Summit County, two of the girls were 14 years old at the time of the offenses. One was 13, so her case legally is a sexual offense against a child, according to Chief County Prosecutor Patricia Cassell.
Two of the incidents occurred in the summer of 2018, and the third in the spring of 2019. The separate events described in the charging documents are roughly similar.
The girls said they were in Leavitt’s bedroom, kissing the defendant. He then said he wanted to have sex, and forced himself on them. In two of the cases, Leavitt finally stopped after the girls began yelling.
Prosecutor Cassell said the county felt the case had a very good outcome. Leavitt has been sentenced to four years probation after serving his jail term. He has to complete sex offender treatment, and will be on the Sex Offender Registry. Judge Mrazik also issued protective orders, prohibiting Leavitt from any direct or indirect contact with the victims.
Cassell commended the victims for stepping forward.
“That’s what’s really important in this case, that we were able to bring this case against Mr. Leavitt because of the bravery of the young women involved. This would never have happened except for their bravery coming forward and reporting the incidents that happened to them. And we are very grateful for that.”
KPCW also contacted Leavitt’s attorney, Gail Laser, who said that her client was a very young man, 18 or 19 years old, at the time of the incidents.
She wrote, “He did not deny there was some canoodling between he and the girls” but not the aggression or the assault that was alleged. Laser said that the parent of one of the girls solicited the allegations, a year or several years after they occurred.
The attorney wrote, “People must understand that plea agreements do not always reveal much of the truth or all of the relevant facts. When a young defendant is faced with these severe charges carrying mandatory minimum sentences of as much as 25 to life—the risk of trying to prove your innocence at trial is just too great.”
A restitution hearing for Leavitt is set for December 13th.
