A jury found a Summit County man guilty of sexual assault Tuesday evening, delivering a partial but serious conviction that could have major implications for three co-defendants still awaiting trial.
Paul Garvin, 46, was convicted of one of the three felony sexual assault charges against him and could face 16 to 48 years in prison. He could also be sentenced to a minimum 20 years probation in lieu of prison. Judge Karen Romeo will rule on his punishment at a hearing in January.
The verdict, delivered by a jury of 10 women and two men after more than six hours of deliberation, capped off a lengthy, graphic trial that included four cellphone videos of the March 2016 assault.
Prosecutors said Garvin and his co-defendants — Justin Erwin, 41, Michael Gelber, 46, and Ramon Villa, 41 — assaulted the woman in a Silverthorne apartment on St. Patrick’s Day night when she was too impaired to consent. Gelber and Erwin are scheduled for trial in January, and Villa is scheduled for a hearing Nov. 3.
