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YOUNGSTOWN -- Michael Vanhorn, 36, of Sebring, has asked a judge to order an evaluation to determine whether Vanhorn was sane at the time of the nine counts of rape he is accused of committing.
Vanhorn's attorney filed a written plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and has asked Judge John Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for the evaluation.
The motion requests the evaluation because of Vanhorn's "conduct at the time of the alleged offense and the defendant's history of mental illness, which in the past has required treatment."
Vanhorn's attorney, Tom Zena, last week asked the judge to order that any records regarding Vanhorn's "prior mental health and/or metal health treatment be made available to the examiner for consideration in determining the issue of the defendant's sanity at the time of the offense."
Vanhorn, of Lake Park Boulevard in Sebring, pleaded not guilty to the offenses in February shortly after a superseding indictment that charged him with the nine counts of rape.
Eight of the rape counts accuse Vanhorn of raping a juvenile between 2014 and 2021 and carry the possibility of Vanhorn being sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
His earlier indictment alleged he committed one rape in November through December of 2022 against a juvenile victim. That charge remains, but the punishment for that offense is up to about 11 years in prison if convicted.
He also was re-indicted on charges of corrupting another with drugs, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a child and failure to comply with underage drinking laws.
Durkin increased Vanhorn's bond from $75,000 to $250,000 during his arraignment hearing on the new indictments. He has been in the county jail since March 11, 2022.
Kara Vanhorn, 32, also of the Lake Park Road address, was also arraigned in February on the superseding indictment.
She pleaded not guilty to child endangering, corrupting another with drugs, contributing to the delinquency of a child and failure to comply with underage drinking laws. Her bond remained the same, and she remains free on bond.
She is married to Michael Vanhorn.