36-year-old man sentenced to 27 years in prison for raping and impregnating three teenage sisters

One of the girls was able to get an abortion, but the other two discovered their pregnancies too late

Perry was staying with the family because he had nowhere else to go (Mahoning County Sheriff's Office)

A man convicted of impregnating 14-year-old twins and their 12-year-old sister has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for rape and sexual battery.

Arnold Perry, the 34-year-old Ohio man convicted of the crime, abused the trust of the girls’ family, assistant Mahoning County Prosecutor Jennifer McLaughlin, said. The mother, she said, had allowed Perry to move into their home when he had nowhere else to go, according to the Youngstown Vindicator.

The rapes and following pregnancies occurred in 2015 and 2016, according to the prosecution. One of the sisters was able to get an abortion, while the other two girls carried their pregnancies to term because the pregnancy was discovered too late for a procedure.

Ms McLaughlin says that Perry had committed similar crimes when he was a juvenile.

“These girls will suffer the rest of their lives because of this,” Ms McLaughlin said.

Perry pleaded guilty on two counts of rape and one count of sexual battery in November. A 25-year sentence was included in his plea deal.

His defense attorney, Mark Lavelle, said in court that Perry’s case was the worst he had ever handled, but asked for a more lenient sentence between 15 and 16 years in prison. Mr Lavelle said his client had suffered a brain injury as a child, which has prevented him from experiencing feelings about his actions.

Perry, for his part, apologizsd before his sentencing.

“I know now what I did was wrong,” he said. “I wish I could take it back.”

The two babies that resulted from the rape are being raised by the girls’ mother. Perry’s family is not helping her, she said.

Perry, once he is released from prison, will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

The AP contributed to this report