BUCYRUS — Chad Stander of Bucyrus pleaded guilty in Crawford County Common Pleas Court Wednesday to two counts of rape, each a first-degree felony punishable with up to 11 years in prison.
Stander, 47, admitted to the abuse which began when the victims were 10-and-15 years old and spanned a 10-year period. The girls were related to Stander by both blood and marriage. Stander began giving the girls alcohol and graduated to drugs. When they were incapacitated and unable to consent, he raped them.
Stander, who suffers from several serious health conditions, was brought into the Common Pleas Court in a wheelchair and was on oxygen. Due to his health issues, he was permitted to be without a mask.
Common Pleas Court Judge Sean Leuthold had to explain specifics of the sentencing to Stander, who is being sentenced under the Reagan Tokes Law. This allows the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation the option to add up to 50% more time onto Stander’s sentence for poor behavior or reduce it by up to 15% for exemplary behavior.
When Stander is released from prison, he will be a Tier III Sex Offender and will be required to report in person every 90 days to the sheriff of his county of residence.
Before pronouncing sentence, Leuthold asked for comments from the State, defense, and Stander himself.
Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Hoovler told the court that the victim’s lives have been ruined because of Stander’s abuse. He said they have suffered loss of self-esteem and have an uphill battle every single day.
“I hope that every day and every minute he has to live with what he did,” Hoovler said.
Leuthold took a moment to inject the balance the state weighs in prosecution of such cases.
“Sexual abuse cases are difficult. You have to balance justice against the wishes of the victims,” Leuthold said. “These victims are adults now but that doesn’t make it any less traumatizing.”
Jerry Thompson, court-appointed attorney for Stander, told the court that his client has taken responsibility for his actions.
“My client has significant health issues and he wanted to spare the families and victims,” Thompson said.
When asked if he had anything to say; Stander told the court, “I’m sorry for everything I did and I’m going to do my best to make it right.”
“You want to make this right? That’s not going to happen. You let young relatives come to your house, get drunk or high, pass out and when they were unable to resist you raped them,” Leuthold said. “Preying on young relatives for your personal pleasure is terrible. You are a crazy sociopath.”
Leuthold said that he would go along with a negotiated plea to spare the victims from testifying. Leuthold sentenced Stander to a flat 10 years in prison on each count for a total of 20 years. Once in prison, the Ohio Department of Corrections could add another 10 years to his sentence. Stander was ordered to maintain no direct or indirect contact with the victims.
Leuthold noted that Stander had spent most of the time since his arrest in the hospital.
“I kept deputies guarding him to make sure he did not get away. It’s hard to believe Mr. Stander will make it 20 years in prison,” Leuthold said. “If he does, he won’t be a threat to anyone as he will probably be placed in a care facility somewhere. I hate to be cruel but if you survive prison, you’ll come out. If you don’t survive prison no one will miss you.”
Stander’s wife, Karla Stander, 42 of Bucyrus remains incarcerated at the Crawford County Jail. She faces the same charges as her husband and is being held on a $2,000,000 bond.