Boardman man acquitted of sex abuse charges

The trial of Willie Stanley, 54, which began Monday, ended Wednesday with a not guilty verdict on five counts of gross sexual imposition. The jury deliberated for about half the day Wednesday before returning its verdict about 2:30 p.m.

The trial featured testimony of the girl, 8, who told the court Stanley abused her by making her touch him on countless occasions while she was living with him and his wife. She said he would watch pornography on his phone while it was going on, and she could hear and sometimes see the videos, which she described to the court as a boy and a girl doing inappropriate things.

While cross examining the girl, defense attorney Greg Rossi asked her if she thinks Stanley needs to go to jail.

“He really does,” she said.

Rossi asked if she thinks that or if her parents told her.

“They said he should and I think he should too,” said.

Prosecuting attorney Caitlyn Andrews, following up on Rossi’s cross examination, asked the girl why she never said anything about the abuse before a picture she drew in school caught the attention of teachers and authorities.

“I would think they wouldn’t believe me,” she said.

The case was brought to the attention of police in April 2023. The girl was interviewed by a pediatric social worker at the Child Advocacy Center at Akron Children’s Mahoning Valley in Boardman.

The social worker, Courtney Wilson, told the court she watched for signs of coaching and dishonesty, which she said the girl never exhibited. Instead, Wilson said the girl provided several experiential details, including descriptions of Stanley’s body and of things that happen during sexual activity that a child that age would not know about.

During testimony Tuesday, it was revealed the girl had been abused in 2019 after relatives found cigarette burns on her back during a weekend visit. She was also found to have adhesions on her private parts. However, Amanda McAllen, a pediatric nurse who conducts medical exams on child victims following forensic interviews, said that at least one-third of children with those types of adhesions are not victims of sexual assault and the scars can occur for other reasons.

Overall, though, McAllen’s testimony corroborated that of Wilson and the girl.

After the abuse was discovered, the girl was taken from her mother’s custody and placed in Stanley’s home. She told the court the abuse she suffered from Stanley would happen late at night in her room while his wife was asleep.

After McAllen’s testimony, the state rested its case and Rossi began calling witnesses. Janice Julian, a nurse from Alta Behavioral Health, said the girl had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and that she had also found the girl to be “impulsive.”

The nurse supported Rossi’s argument that the girl was not mentally stable because she heard voices of imaginary friends that kept her up at night and was on strong medication for ADHD.

Stanley’s daughter, Mercedes Snodgres, said she has known the girl since she was born eight years ago, and the girl would sometimes visit and stay with her in Columbus.

She told the court the girl is difficult to deal with, that she was mean to Snodgres’ daughters, and that she is dishonest.

“Something’s not right there. Something’s wrong,” Snodgres said. “She’s not a truthful kid.”

Stella Stanley, wife of the defendant, also said the girl would take things, hide things and lie frequently.

She also told the court that she had obtained a restraining order against the girl’s father, and that was before the allegations were made against Stanley. She said she and the girl were close, but Stanley was always the disciplinarian.

She said the girl was difficult to deal with at home and that the school would call almost daily about behavioral problems.

However, Stella Stanley also told the court that the girl would act out when they tried to apply a medicinal cream to her genital adhesions and so they just stopped.

“We had to take the cream away because of her actions,” she said.

Stanley also testified in his own defense, denying the charges.