A Columbia man who was acquitted of raping his estranged wife last October pleaded guilty yesterday to breaking into the home of the woman's boyfriend and attacking him.
Raymond Ernest Sandoval, 49, pleaded guilty to burglary and assault before Howard Circuit Judge James Dudley for an incident in which he tried to strike Kenneth Young of Columbia with a crowbar.
Sandoval is accused of breaking into Mr. Young's home in the 10500 block of Tolling Clock Way and chasing him through the house with the crowbar during a fight over the woman on Jan. 9, 1994.
The fight ended when Mr. Young ran to the home of a neighbor, who called the police. Sandoval was arrested a short time later when police officers found him hiding in his car parked near Mr. Young's home.
"Mr. Young was afraid the defendant was about to kill him," Assistant State's Attorney Shirley Ripley told Judge Dudley.
Sandoval will be sentenced on March 30.
Ms. Ripley said the prosecution will seek a 15-year prison sentence for Sandoval, with all but five years suspended. Defense attorney John Harris Sr. is expected to argue for a lesser sentence.
The prosecution also wants Sandoval to complete three years of probation and to have no contact with Mr. Young.
Meanwhile, the prosecution dropped seven other counts, including assault with intent to murder, as part of the plea agreement.
Sandoval is serving a one-year assault-and-battery sentence in the Howard County Detention Center. He was convicted of striking his 28-year-old wife when he confronted her about her affair with Mr. Young in their home in Columbia's Owen Brown village in November 1993.
He was cleared of first-degree rape and four related charges during a Circuit Court jury trial. During the trial, Sandoval admitted striking his wife but denied raping her.
The couple, married since 1985, have a divorce pending in Circuit Court. They have two daughters, ages 5 and 6.