Prosecutor: 'Monster' who terrorized Cleveland Heights women sentenced

CLEVELAND -- Cuyahoga County Prosecutor, Bill Mason, announced late Wednesday that the man suspected in a series of sexual attacks in Cleveland Heights had accepted a plea deal.

Mason says as part of the deal Clifford Jones pled guilty to the rape and attempted rape of four women. Jones also pled to five unsolved rapes in Cleveland Heights that date back to the early 1980's.

Jones was sentenced to 31 years in prison in exchange for his plea.

Prosecutor Mason said, "This monster terrorized Cleveland Heights. Today's plea bring justice to four victims and closes an ugly chapter in the lives of five others."

According to prosecutors, Jones, 49, of Cleveland was convicted of raping a young relative in 1985. He spent 15 years in prison and was released in 2000. After his release Jones raped and sexually assaulted four young women:

• On September 16, 2004, Jones attempted to rape a 22-year-old woman on Edgehill Drive after she had parked her car.
• On October 8, 2004 Jones dragged a 22-year-old woman into the woods on Edgehill and Overlook Drive and raped her. The woman, a student at Case Western Reserve Univerity, was on her way to class.
• On October 27, 2004 Jones followed a 21-year-old woman from her apartment to her workplace at Mayfield and Lee. The woman noticed Jones and pulled a knife on him. He fled.
• On November 1, 2004 Jones raped an 11-year-old girl at knifepoint after he broke into the victim's Cleveland Heights home and waited for her to return from school.

Police obtained Jones' DNA from that assault on the 11-year-old from the crime scene. While Jones was serving another prison term, this for a conviction in 2005, for masturbating in front of a group of girls at a Warrensville Heights store, police checked, the DNA sample from the crime scene against a state data base. Police say Jones' DNA matched the sample from the two rape victims in 2004. Cleveland Heights police were then able connect Jones to the other two attempted rapes in 2004.

As part of the plea deal, Jones was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2004 rapes and attempted rapes. He also confessed to five unsolved rapes in Cleveland Heights. Prosecutor Mason says Jones could not be prosecuted for those crimes due to the statute of limitations.

After a 25 year prison term Jones will serve up to an additional 6 years for violating his parole.

He will be eligible for parole at the age of 80.