Samuel Conley gets maximum sentence of 33 to 38 1/2 years in prison

An Ironton man has been sentenced to over three decades in prison after being found guilty on rape charges.

On June 12, 36-year-old Samuel T. Conley, 36, of 599 Township Road 102, Ironton, plead guilty to three counts of rape, a felony of the first degree. 

The charges are a result of an investigation conducted by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in June 2024 and Conley was indicted on four charges of first-degree felony rape and one count of third-degree felony sexual battery by a Lawrence County Grand Jury in June 2024.

On June 18, Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Christen Finley sentenced Conley to the maximum sentence allowed under Ohio law of 33 to 38½ years in prison and ordered him to register as a Tier III sex offender for life.

In a Facebook post, Lawrence County prosecutor Brigham Anderson said the case highlights the effectiveness of multi-agency collaboration. 

“In 2024, the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office secured grant funding through Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Public Safety to create a full-time sexual assault investigator position,” Anderson wrote. That investigator is Lawrence County Sheriff Sheriff’s Detective Kodi Pizelli. “The Lawrence County Commissioners initially supported this critical role through funding. These results underscore the commitment that the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office and Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office place on protecting their citizens and pursuing justice for survivors of sexual violence.”