CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield man accused of rape was back in court Monday for re-sentencing.
In October, Brian Thomas Bonar, 37, was sentenced to serve seven to 15 years in state prison with three-years probation for rape and terroristic threats.
The case came back to court after his attorney filed a motion for reconsideration of sentence because the state prison term was beyond the standard guidelines and Judge Paul Cherry did not include reasons for the longer sentence in his court order, explained District Attorney Ryan Sayers.
The new recommendation from the probation office in this case is for a lesser sentence, but Sayers argued that a sentence in the aggravated range is appropriate for Bonar because he met the teen online, lured her out of her home and took her to a location where he raped her.
He asked for a maximum sentence of 25 years to ensure Bonar is rehabilitated.
Jendi Schwab, defense attorney, noted that the seriousness of the crime is already included in the calculation for Bonar’s sentence.
She stated there was nothing in the record that specifically explains why this incident was worse than other rapes. She asked Cherry to sentence him to five to ten years in prison with five years consecutive probation.
Schwab stated that Bonar is taking full responsibility for his actions and the impact on the victim, her family, his family and the community.
She reminded the judge that Bonar signed an open plea to avoid additional trauma on the victim.
Cherry then sentenced Bonar to 81 months (6 ¾ years) to 15 years in state prison with a consecutive period of three years probation, which is within the standard sentencing range.
Bonar must complete sex offender counseling and is prohibited from unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Although it was determined that he is not a sexually-violent predator, Bonar will still have to register with authorities under Megan’s Law.
During the prior sentencing hearing, a letter written by the victim that graphically described the encounter and its impact on her was read into the record.
She started by saying that after today he would no longer have power over her.
“You took something from me,” she wrote and it was not yours to take.
She goes on to say he took her free will, right to say no and her sense of security.
You didn’t care that I said stop or that you were hurting me, she stated. “… I feel like I died that day.”
“You have no idea how much damage you have caused,” she said, adding that when she closes her eyes to sleep at night, she sees his face.
According to the affidavit, Bonar picked the girl up and drove her to garage in Knox Township on March 30.
After they entered the building, Bonar forced her to perform a sex act on him before removing her clothing and sexually assaulting her.
At one point, he reportedly grabbed her by the throat, choking her and causing her to become light headed.
Investigators examined messages between Bonar and the victim indicating he was aware of the victim’s age.
During a medical examination, injuries were seen on the victim that were consistent with her statements, according to the criminal complaint.
