BRYAN — A Bryan man was sentenced to a long prison sentence here Tuesday in Williams County Common Pleas Court on attempted murder and rape charges.
Judge J.T. Stelzer handed Sammy Celestine II, 43, a term of 18 years to 23 1/2 years on a charge of attempted murder and two counts of rape, each a first-degree felony. The charges included repeat violent offender and sexual motivation specifications.
Celestine also was classified as a Tier III sexual offender, which would require him to register his address with authorities for the rest of his life following release from prison. He also was given credit for 450 days served in the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio (CCNO) while his case was pending.
Two additional counts of attempted murder and two other counts of rape, all first-degree felonies, were dismissed as part of the plea agreement between Williams County Prosecutor Katherine Zartman’s office and Celestine’s attorney, Aaron Cook of Bryan.
Assistant Prosecutor Nicholas Fee, who handled the state’s case, recommended a prison term of not less than 12 years.
Celestine entered his pleas on the same day (Feb. 26) that his case had been scheduled to go before a jury at trial.
A Williams County grand jury had returned an indictment against Celestine in December 2022, alleging a series of crimes against a former girlfriend on Nov. 26, 2022 that he had been dating for about a year.
According to Fee, Celestine turned violent while claiming that his girlfriend was having relationships with other men.
On the day of the violent incident, he kept her from leaving his apartment in Bryan, then struck her multiple times, strangled her on three occasions, attempted to force her to take prescription medication and forced himself upon her sexually several times. He also held a knife to her in different places, causing superficial cuts, according to Fee.
Before sentence was pronounced Tuesday, he displayed pictures of the woman’s injuries.
According to Fee, the victim initially tried to leave the apartment, but when Celestine restrained her, she stayed for some time before going to her workplace a couple days later and disclosing that day what had happened.
The victim offered a lengthy statement about her experience during Tuesday’s hearing, noting that she has no interest in a future relationship with men — at least for now — due to the harm she incurred. Too, she stated that she had been assaulted and strangled by Celestine on a previous occasion — sustaining a broken rib — and had been cheated on by him.
Fee called the case “an example of how insecurity can turn into brutality,” in a reference to Celestine’s behavior. And he said this was “a case about control.”
The defendant’s attorney said his client hadn’t intended for the incident to happen and noted Celestine’s history of alcohol abuse. Cook indicated that the defendant was sorry he did not make the most of the opportunity he had for a loving relationship with the victim.
Asked to make a statement, Celestine said he wanted to “apologize for any pain” he caused. When asked by Stelzer how he thought the incident may have affected the victim he said only that “she’s really hurt by it.”
He didn’t agree that the allegations arose to the level of attempted murder.
But Stelzer commented that reading the pre-sentence report (about the details of the case) was “quite shocking.” Celestine responded by apologizing for the “things that actually did happen.”
As the repeat violent offender specification mentioned above suggests, Celestine had two convictions — both in Texas — for aggravated kidnapping and robbery, for which he served prison time.
He had moved to Ohio from Louisiana prior to meeting the victim.
Celestine was being held Wednesday in CCNO where he has been incarcerated since his arrest on the charges in 2022.
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