YOUNGSTOWN — A jury was seated Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court in the rape trial of a man from Campbell.

Opening statements and the start of testimony are expected to begin today before Judge John Durkin. If convicted, Samuel R. Aponte-Rodriguez, 26, of Palmer Avenue, could get more than 20 years in prison.

Aponte-Rodriguez is alleged to have engaged in sexual conduct with a child twice between Nov. 1, 2022, and Dec. 30, 2022, according to an indictment. He also is alleged to have had sexual contact with the same child over that same time span.

A panel of about 45 jurors was called to the courthouse to provide a pool of potential jurors for the case.

Aponte-Rodriguez was secretly indicted in May 2023 and has remained in the Mahoning County jail since, according to court and jail records. In May 2023, his attorney entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, and Aponte-Rodriguez was evaluated for competency to stand trial, according to court records.

Durkin found Aponte-Rodriguez was competent to stand trial in September 2023.

In October, Durkin had a hearing to determine whether certain evidence should be kept out of the trial. The judge later overruled the motion, stating the victim can testify at Aponte-Rodriguez’s trial.