AKRON, Ohio — William Mozingo, the Akron man who was set to face trial on charges related to the abduction and beating of a woman while she was confined for four days in a residential garage last year, was sentenced to prison after entering a guilty plea on Tuesday.
The 34-year-old Mozingo was sentenced to 25 to 30.5 years in prison by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Susan Baker Ross after pleading guilty to the following charges:
- Two counts of kidnapping
- Five counts of felonious assault
- One count of abduction
- One count of strangulation
He also pleaded guilty to a charge of escape for a separate incident that occurred a month before he kidnapped and assaulted a 23-year-old woman.
“William Monzingo’s criminal history has proven that the streets are safer when he is behind bars. We are thankful that the victim survived this horrific crime and hope this sentence will allow her the peace to begin to move on from this terrible crime. Thank you to the diligence of the Akron Police Department and to our prosecutors,” said Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich in a statement.
CASE HISTORY
On Oct. 16, 2023, a 911 caller from southwest Akron said Mozingo was in their family's outdoor garage without their knowledge.
"My husband went to go in our garage to get a dolly out and that friend is in our garage right now," said the 911 caller. "Also, there's a female with him and my husband said from what he could see of her — because it was dark in the garage — her face is pretty beat up."
The Akron Police Department said 23-year-old Chloe Jones was the injured woman that was in the garage with Mozingo. Jones told officers that Mozingo had held her in the garage against her will for four days, beating her while she was trapped in an overhead space.
"Very significant facial injuries, possibly orbital fractures and things of that nature in the face and around the eyes. Very traumatic," Akron PD spokesman Captain Michael Miller told 3News' Kaitor Kay. "It's a heinous, tragic, unfortunate thing for someone to go through."
Miller told Kay that Jones knew Mozingo, but not very well. As officers continued to investigate the details of how the two ended up at this garage together, they sent Jones for medical care and arrested Mozingo.
"It really shows the depravity and the lengths people go through to really harm somebody, especially when they are intent on doing so," Miller said. "Her injuries were pretty significant, and we're fortunate that we were able to intersect that and just prevent that victimization from continuing."
One month later, Mozingo was arraigned on charges of kidnapping, felonious assault, abduction and unlawful restraint. He has been held without bond since his arrest due to a parole violation.
Kolkovich's office stated that the other charge against Mozingo happened in Sept. 2023, when he escaped from the Summit County Community Based Correctional Facility by going under a fence.
"Mozingo is currently on Ohio’s Violent Crime Registry because of a prior violent crime conviction. If Mozingo is released from prison, he must register with the local sheriff every year for ten years. His criminal history dates back to 2008 and includes several violent crimes in Adams, Hamilton, and Stark Counties," prosecutors added.