A Youngstown man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to raping and sexually abusing two children under the age of 13, capping a case that also sent the Barberton woman who hid him from police to prison for 12 years. Seth Chio, 38, will not be eligible for parole for 25 years after pleading guilty to one count of rape and five counts of gross sexual imposition.
Chio is a Tier III sex offender with previous convictions for rape, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition, according to Cleveland.com. He admitted to police that he had raped and sexually abused two children, both under 13 years old, while living undetected inside a Barberton home. Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich said Chio “was given access to vulnerable children and abused that access in the most horrific way.”
That access was made possible, prosecutors say, by 33-year-old Kirstie Kandel, who pleaded guilty to four counts of endangering children and was sentenced in June to 12 years in prison. Kandel, of Barberton, allowed Chio to live in a home with children present, according to prosecutors. A June 2026 press release from the Summit County Prosecutor's Office details that the arrangement stretched roughly nine months, from October 2024 to July 2025.
Lies to Police and a Basement Hideout
Kandel lied to police officers on two occasions when they asked whether Chio was at the home, prosecutors said. She eventually admitted that Chio had been hiding in the basement. Prosecutors also said Kandel saw Chio sexually abusing the children.
Kolkovich said Kandel “made no effort to protect these children, instead working to shield Chio from the law.” As a Tier III offender, Chio was required under Ohio Revised Code Section 2950.04 to register in person with his local county sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life, according to the Ohio General Assembly.
That registration requirement exists in part so sheriffs can notify nearby residents of a high-risk offender's presence. Ohio law mandates that local sheriffs send formal community notifications to everyone living within 1,000 feet of a registered Tier III sex offender's residence, per the Columbus Criminal Attorney.
A History of Reoffending
Chio has prior convictions for rape, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition, according to Cleveland.com. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2919.22, a violation of division (A) is generally a first-degree misdemeanor; it is a third-degree felony if the violation results in serious physical harm to the child.
Chio had been scheduled to go to trial October 6 in Summit County Common Pleas Court on charges of rape and gross sexual imposition before instead entering his guilty plea, per the prosecutor's office release.
Accountability in the Case
Kolkovich has emphasized accountability and protecting children in this case.
