East Rochester man gets two years for assault on police after arrest in rape case

John Stonis, middle, with members of his defense team during February trial. (Rochester Voice file photo)

DOVER - The Rochester man whose rape trial ended in February with a hung jury was sentenced today on several of the lesser charges he was found guilty of that were associated with the case.

John Stonis, 31, of 7 Gina Drive, was sentenced to two consecutive 12-month sentences for his assault on two city police officers in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2017.

The assaults occurred when Stonis kicked two officers while being cuffed in the cruiser where he was being held during a preliminary investigation just minutes after his arrest.

Stonis was found guilty of kicking them when they opened the door to try to quiet him down as he screamed obscenities.

Stonis, who was married to the woman at the time of the attack, was also sentenced for stalking the alleged victim last fall, receiving two consecutive 12-month jail terms, all suspended.

Stonis, who appeared by videoconference from the Strafford County Jail, has 500 days or pretrial credit, so he will likely be released on the assault charges in a couple of months, after which he will be on personal recognizance while awaiting possible retrial on the charges the jury could not agree on.

Those charges include rape, false imprisonment and strangulation charges that could land him in state prison for up to 40 years.

Assistant County Attorney Emily Conant Garod told The Rochester Voice they would be pooling jurors from the February trial before deciding whether or not to retry the case.

While on personal recognizance Stonis must stay away from the alleged victim, refrain from consumption of alcohol and stay on good behavior.