Martin Petersime

Martin Petersime Case

The following is based on a letter sent by Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins to the Ohio Parole Board.

A Young Hero Comes Forward

On April 28, 1992, a savvy 15-year-old boy became an instant hero in Trumbull County when he chose to take drastic action, in spite of danger to himself, to expose a child molester and predator who had successfully duped many into believing that he was a good person and leader. The truth was revealed when 39-year-old Martin Petersime, who worked at the Warren Music Store, asked the 15-year-old boy to stay after hours to watch porno movies downstairs in what he called “Room B”. Petersime who he had met the boy a few days before at the store.

After taking the boy to “Room B” Petersime asked him if he wanted to make a porn movie for $15.00. According to the boy, Petersime said all he “had to do was dance in front of a camera and act like a strip tease and throw my whip around.” The boy stated, “He had me take all my clothes off and lay on the floor with my leg propped up jacking off.” Petersime then asked the boy to record him. The boy continued, “While I filmed him, Petersime took his clothes off and was jacking off [masturbating] on camera while dancing to the music of Van Halen’s song “Running With the Devil.”

Afterwards, Petersime went upstairs to get some Vaseline. Realizing something was very wrong, the boy “grabbed as much of his clothes as he could and took the tape out of the camera.” The boy ran out of the store with the tape with a nude Petersime chasing him. Thankfully, the boy escaped and ran to the Warren Ohio Police station which was nearby.

A Serial Predator Emerges

As a result of the evidence provided by the 15-year-old victims and further evidence obtained by the Warren Police Department through its investigation and search warrants, the State was able to indict Petersime on 20 separate felony counts involving six different children. As a result of the investigation several other children came forward and reported being abused by Petersime years before while they were music students at the store.

The proof was so overwhelming that Petersime pled guilty to all 20 counts of the indictment including two rape counts involving eleven and twelve-year-old boys. He was sentenced by Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge W. Wyatt McKay to an indeterminate sentence of 12 to 40 years in prison. The agreed plea and sentence avoided a public trial for these children and respected their privacy through a difficult time.

A Long History Of Sexual Abuse And A High Risk To Reoffend

Prior to his December 1, 1992 sentencing on twenty (20) felony charges, Martin Petersime was convicted in 1975 in Piqua, Ohio for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He said he would frequently “drive down the freeway and hold up dirty pictures” to children. In 1976, Petersime, after moving, pled guilty in Cuyahoga County to two (2) counts of exhibiting materials harmful to a juvenile while in his car and received one-year probation.

In October 1999, Petersime was the subject to a court ordered sexual predator evaluation. Though forensic experts state that the Defendant does not suffer from mental illness or a personality disorder, he is a pedophile. According to these experts “Mr. Petersime poses a high risk to the community and may be likely to engage in the future in a sexually oriented offense against a child.” It is clear that Petersime is very smart and manipulative with a voracious appetite for sex with children (he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wittenberg University and had completed all his graduate studies except his thesis at Youngstown State University Dana School of Music).

According to Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Advocate Miriam Fife, there are two active victims in their victim program in this case. There have been as many as five victims in the program over the years. It is their hope that these victims will be spared having to testify before a full board hearing in this matter. The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s office also would have much more “telling evidence” about Petersime if a hearing was required to reverse Petersime’s parole.

No Parole

Martin Petersime’s crimes caused great psychological injury and damage to many children. He has admitted to giving drugs to children to facilitate sex with them, having group sex with kids, producing pornographic films with children and himself, and participating in the following deviant sexual behaviors: frottage, voyeurism, obscene phone calling, pedophilia, use of prostitutes, sexual affairs, sex with strangers, and the use of pornography. Forensic experts stated that to all the deviant sexual behaviors Petersime reported, he said that “he is in nearly complete control or absolute control.” The State now has complete control over him while he remains in prison.

According to Trumbull County prosecutor Dennis Watkins, “He [Petersime] truly is the Pervert’s Pervert”. Releasing Martin Petersime prior to his maximum 40-year sentence would be a complete injustice to the multiple child victims in this case and would demean his cruelty to them. In addition, placing Petersime back on the streets would pose an immeasurable risk to the community, especially young boys. To further the interests of justice and to protect the community we strongly urge The Ohio Parole Board to require Martin Petersime serve his full 40-year sentence which expires in the year 2032.