Vermilion man sentenced for child rape

VERMILION — A Vermilion man was recently sentenced on a child rape charge. At a court hearing on June 6, Tristan R. Westover, 31, 8100 block Barnes Road, was convicted on one amended count of rape, a first-degree felony. Westover pleaded guilty to the one amended charge in exchange for one count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony, and one count of attempted rape, a first-degree felony to be dismissed. Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Roger Binette sentenced Westover to serve five to seven-and-a-half years in prison, according to court records. Under the terms of his sentencing, Westover is classified as a Tier 1 sex offender, which means that he must verify home and work addresses every three months for life. Westover will additionally be placed on a mandatory term of five years post-release control, according to court records. Background Westover was initially arrested on Aug. 16, 2024, and was booked into the Erie County Jail on one count of rape, a first-degree felony; one count of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony; and one count of of attempted rape, a first-degree felony. The investigation into Westover first began after a caseworker from Lorain County children services reported the accusation to the Erie County Sheriff's Office, according to an Erie County Sheriff's Office report. Due to the victim residing in Elyria, the case was transferred to Lorain County children services. An interview was conducted with both Erie County children services and the Erie County Sheriff's Office at Michael's House, a structure designed to facilitate interviews with child victims, in May 2023. During the interview, the victim advised both the officer and caseworkers that Westover sexually assaulted her and that Westover "had touched her where she is not supposed to be touched," the report states. In May 2023, Westover was arrested by Tiffin police for having allegedly driven down to Tiffin to have sex with a 13-year-old girl that he was conversing with online. Following Westover's arrest, Tiffin police Chief David Pauly said his department had been investigating Westover's internet activity. Westover was indicted in Seneca County on May 31, 2023, and pleaded guilty on March 3 to three counts of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, two counts of importuning, one count of attempted pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor or impaired person and one count of attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Seneca County Common Pleas Court Judge Damon Alt sentenced Westover in that case to a little under seven years in prison, which Erie County court records indicate will be served consecutively to his Erie County sentence.