Rondell Harris, center, was surrounded by corrections officers with the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown and deputies with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court as he waited for his hearing to begin before Judge Anthony D’Apolito. Harris is accused of raping a woman deputy while he was an inmate at the Mahoning County jail on May 5. Staff photo / Ed Runyan

YOUNGSTOWN — Under tight security, Rondell Harris, 33, of East Cleveland, told Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge Anthony D’Apolito that he’s not happy being housed in the Ohio State Penitentiary.

Harris is indicted on two counts of rape, accused of sexually assaulting a woman deputy at the Mahoning County jail May 5. The deputy works at the jail. Harris also is indicted on two counts of kidnapping, one count of felonious assault and one count of assault in the episode.

If convicted, Harris could be sentenced to well over 50 years in prison.

Tuesday was Harris’ first hearing in front of D’Apolito following his arraignment May 24 in front of Magistrate Dennis Sarisky, who ordered Harris detained without eligibility to make bond.

During the hearing, two lawyers from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office — Laura Ann Dezort and William Walton — introduced themselves as being prosecutors in the case.

Also, D’Apolito stated that he had asked for the Ohio Public Defender’s Office to serve as legal counsel to Harris because he felt it would be “difficult” for Harris’ present lawyer, Mark Lavelle, to handle the case. The judge did not say why. Lavelle was present during the hearing and advised Harris.

Harris was in the jail to face charges of disrupting public service and vandalism related to unspecified incidents that occurred in Mahoning County through Jan. 28. At the hearing Tuesday, Harris said those charges stemmed from his time at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown. He was serving a one-year prison sentence for carrying a concealed weapon out of Portage County Common Pleas Court, according to prison records.

After the alleged assaults on the deputy, Harris was moved from the Mahoning County jail to the Trumbull County jail.

Harris told D’Apolito that he ran into problems at that facility and retaliated, and that is when he was moved back to the Ohio State Penitentiary.

But Harris told the judge he did not believe he should be at the penitentiary because that is where the incidents that led to the disrupting public services and vandalism occurred. Harris said he does not feel safe there.

The judge said when Harris gets his new attorney from the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, that attorney can take up issues regarding the location where Harris is housed.

Harris then also complained that he is being housed in a prison where he has no access to law books he can use to prepare for his defense.

He also asked for items that he had in the Mahoning County jail be returned to him.

“I have needlework in there, photos of my family, religious items,” he said.

D’Apolito said that again would be up to his new lawyer to address.