A Jacksonville man arrested in November for molesting two minors may spend the rest of his natural life in prison.

62 year old John A. Levins of the 100 block of Woodfield Boulevard pled guilty to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Assistant State’s Attorney Chad Turner says that the investigation into Levins’ behavior began with an out-of-state phone call to local authorities, leading Jacksonville Police Detectives to arrest Levins at his residence on November 17^th: “There were two [minor] victims. One of them was a little bit older than the other, who was very young. How it came about that the investigation got initiated was that the older victim who does not live in Illinois told her parents about [the crime] and they contacted the parents of the younger victim who does live here, and they asked their daughter about it. Then, all of the floodgates opened and everything started to come about in the mid-to-late summer last year. That led the parents to call the authorities here and the investigation got under way and that led to some obviously very credible evidence to some very bad behavior.”

Levins’ plea led to a sentence of 23 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Turner says due to Illinois’ truth in sentencing law, Levins must serve at least 85% of his sentence. Levins will be credited for 107 days served in the Morgan County Jail.

Turner says that Levins’ court proceedings aren’t over yet: “Part of the investigation, as I said, was initiated by a victim that lives in Ohio. The Ohio authorities have alleged that in addition to victimizing that young girl that lives in Ohio while he was here in Illinois with her, he also victimized her in the State of Ohio and they are prosecuting him for that. I don’t know what their analysis is going to be in relation to whether or not they want to go forward with their charges based upon the significant nature of the sentencing here, or whether they might forego that given that I think it’s quite likely that the defendant, Mr. Levins, is going to die in prison or they may so ‘no.’ The people of Ohio may want their pound of flesh as well, so to speak, so there will be more court proceedings, just not in the State of Illinois.”

Levins remains at the Morgan County Jail awaiting transfer into the Illinois Department of Corrections.

A Quincy man will remain free after a controversial acquittal in an Adams County sexual assault case.

The Illinois Supreme Court today denied a request from the Office of the Illinois Attorney General to issue a supervisory order to overturn Adams County Judge Robert Adrian’s acquittal of 18 year old Drew S. Clinton.

Adrian had convicted Clinton in October 2021 of one count of criminal sexual assault but then reversed that decision at a sentencing hearing in January, saying he did not want to sentence Clinton to the mandatory four-year prison term in the Illinois Department of Corrections. Adrian went on to admonish parents for having a party that served alcohol to minors, and said that Clinton had served enough time in the local jail for the crime.

In its order, the Supreme Court cited double jeopardy protections established in previous cases. In the order submitted by Supreme Court Clerk Cynthia Grant, it says: “The double jeopardy clause prohibits further prosecution even where an acquittal is based on an egregiously erroneous foundation.”

Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha expressed his disappointment to Muddy River News saying that his office believed the victim, Cameron Vaughan when she came forward , when she testified, and in the current term. Farha says that it would be herculean effort to get the ruling overturned, but felt like he owed it to Ms. Vaughan to try every option.

Adrian was called out internationally for his reversal in the case and was removed from trying felony cases by Chief Circuit Judge J. Frank McCartney.

A local representative is upset that legislators are still being required to mask up at the State Capitol for session.

During session on Tuesday afternoon, Republican members were removed from the House floor once again for refusing to wear a mask. State Reps. Adam Niemerg, Blaine Wilhour and Dan Caulkins were once again removed by a floor vote.

100^th District Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer says the House Floor rules are outdated and are now operating contrary to CDC guidance: “This is absolutely ridiculous. We need to work to change these rules. These rules are outdated, and the only reason you guys continue to do this is because you want to have power over the minority party or power over your members.”

Davidsmeyer accused House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch and Democratic leadership in the chamber of attempting to muzzle Republicans while not following the rules themselves: “This is absolutely ridiculous! I saw at least two or three members of your side of the aisle walking around with their masks on around their chin. This is getting absolutely ridiculous, and it’s taking away from the job we were sent here to do. It’s not because we are doing this. It’s because you’re doing this. You are trying to muzzle people with these things. It is not protecting anyone. It is not doing the job that it’s supposed to do, and the CDC and your governor have said masks optional.”

Niemerg, Wilhour, and Caulkins issued a joint press release later in the day on Tuesday calling masks a “symbol of subjugation” and accused Welch of being an authoritarian, drawing veiled comparisons to Welch’s predecessor Michael Madigan.

A Pike County school superintendent says she is throwing up a white flag and resigning from her post at the end of the school year.

Barry-Western Superintendent Jessica Funk announced that she would be resigning from the district on June 30^th.

In a Facebook resignation letter posted on February 22^nd, Funk cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the political pressures and the changes in the realm of education that it brought as her reasons to leave the position. Funk said that she can no longer endure the personal stress that has compounded since March 2020. She says she is going to put her own priorities in order and that she may be exploring career opportunities outside of education as her next step.

Funk went on to commend the district for its handling of the pandemic and expressed gratitude for the community and the district for her 9 years at the helm.

The Barry-Western School Board told the Pike Press that a search for a new superintendent would begin this week.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been indicted on federal corruption charges.

The 106-page, 22 count indictment laid out by Federal prosecutor John Lausch says that Madigan used his Chicago 13th Ward power base as a center of criminal activity: “The indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan’s political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates. The charges allege that Madigan used his various elected and professional positions to further the goals of the criminal enterprise. Those positions included Speaker of the Illinois House, Representative of Illinois’ 22nd District, committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward, Chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic organization, and partner for the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.”

For the past four years, federal investigators and prosecutors have been encircling the former Democrat powerhouse of Illinois politics. Prosecutors all but named him outright in Commonwealth Edison’s deferred prosecution agreement in the summer of 2020 as “Public Official A” – in which the public utility admitted to a bribery scheme that gave Madigan associates do-nothing jobs, money, and contracts to curry his favor at the Illinois Capitol.

Madigan resigned his seat as a state representative in February 2021, little more than a month after he surrendered the gavle as Illinois Speaker of the House and as Chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party. Madigan had served in the Illinois House since 1971, and save for a few years, served as Speaker of the House since 1983.

Also charged in the indictment was Madigan’s longtime confidant, Michael McClain of Quincy, a former state legislator and lobbyist who is facing separate charges alleging he orchestrated an alleged bribery scheme by ComEd. McClain was charged along with former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd executive and lobbyist John Hooker, and former lobbyist and president of Chicago’s City Club Jay Doherty in November 2020. The charges allege that the 4 Madigan associates orchestrated a scheme at the utility through bribery conspiracy, bribery, and willfully falsifying ComEd’s books and records to further curry favor and push money to Madigan and his associates. All 4 have plead not guilty and are scheduled to go to trial in September. The inner circle’s indictment followed a September 2020 guilty plea by a former ComEd vice president, Fidel Marquez.

Madigan’s indictment yesterday also accused Madigan of illegally soliciting business for his private property tax law firm during discussions to turn a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown into a commercial development. Though the land deal never was consummated, it’s been a source of continued interest for federal investigators, who in 2020 subpoenaed Madigan’s office for records and communications he’d had with key players. According to the Chicago Tribune, it was former Chicago Alderman Danny Solis, who was secretly cooperating with the investigation, recorded numerous conversations with Madigan as part of the Chinatown land probe, including one where the speaker told Solis he was looking for a colleague to sponsor a House bill approving the land sale.

Further cracking of Madigan’s inner circle came in May of last year when his former chief of staff Timothy Mapes was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury about Madigan’s relationship with McClain as well as other matters involving the ComEd scheme. Mapes’ indictment alleged that he lied to the grand jury about McClain allegedly obtaining private jobs, contracts, and payments for others from ComEd in order to influence and reward Madigan.

In addition to the criminal charges, the indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation against both Madigan and McClain seeking $2.8 million in alleged ill-gotten gains. In the press conference yesterday, John Lausch says that Madigan’s tenure in politics was yet another sign of the state’s problems with public corruption: “Unfortunately, this type of criminal conduct drastically undermines the public’s confidence in our government. Simply put, it’s not a good thing.”

In a reaction statement released yesterday, Madigan again proclaimed his innocence to the charges, saying that prosecutors were “attempting to criminalize” legal political actions such as job recommendations. Madigan’s criminal defense lawyers, Sheldon Zenner and Gil Soffer, said in their own statement that the charges were “baseless” overreach by prosecutors and that the evidence would prove so in court.

Madigan and McClain are set to be arraigned on the charges March 9th before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole.

A third arrest has been made in a triple murder in Springfield.

WICS Newschannel 20 reports that 20 year old Larry McClain, Jr. of Springfield was arrested today for three counts of first degree murder and one count of obstructing justice. McClain is connected to the murders that took place in the 2500 block of South 10th Street last year.

McClain is currently being held at the Sangamon County Jail on $5 million bond. He is set to be arraigned tomorrow.

Two other suspects, Kelton C. Galmore of Chatham and Joseph W. Hembrough of rural Jacksonville were arrested on similar charges in connection to the murders on February 22^nd. Both men remain held at the Sangamon County Jail.

The three suspects are accused of killing 27-year-old Bryant K. Williams of Houston, Texas, 27-year-old Savante English of Springfield, and 25-year-old Keyera Gant of Springfield. Their bodies were found by a friend on Aug. 9^th and reported to police.

Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright issued a statement today saying that all the suspects for the murders are now in custody. Wright thanked the the Springfield Police Department Criminal Investigations Division and the United States Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force for their work on the case.

All three men face a potential sentence of natural life in prison.

A Jacksonville man was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections yesterday for a shots fired incident in Jacksonville in the summer of 2020.

24 year old Quantorious J. Courtney, listed as homeless of Jacksonville, pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon.

Courtney was arrested by Jacksonville Police on June 7, 2020 as a passenger in an SUV at the intersection of South East Street and East Beecher Avenue.

The vehicle was pulled over after it matched the identity of a vehicle that had exchanged gunfire with a 2011 Audi sedan at the intersection of South Clay Avenue and East Morton Avenue. Police determined the SUV had been hit by gunfire and questioned three occupants in the vehicle. Courtney was arrested subsequent to the questioning and a search of the vehicle yielding a firearm and ammunition.

Courtney also had subsequent follow-up arrests on October 13, 2020 for aggravated battery in a public place and a December 28, 2021 arrest for aggravated battery of a corrections officer. Both charges were dropped per the plea.

Courtney was sentenced to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, 1 year of Mandatory Supervised Release, a $500 county fine plus fees and court costs. Courtney was credited for 633 days served in the Morgan County Jail.

A Jacksonville man who escaped from the Morgan County Jail for approximately 8 minutes back in January plead guilty to felony escape yesterday in Morgan County Court.

21 year old Daveon L. Mapes of the 1000 block of East Morton Avenue pled guilty to felony escape from a penal institution. Mapes was originally arrested by Jacksonville Police on January 22^nd after a brawl at the West Morgan Depot. Mapes was cited for battery in the case.

Mapes was placed in a visitation booth after being booked into the jail. According to reports, Mapes was able to tear out the trim around the glass about 8 hours after his arrest and break out of the booth. Mapes then was able to break through a glass door entrance to the jail and escape on foot. Jacksonville Police and Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputies later located Mapes in the vicinity of Jacksonville Public Library on College Avenue, less than 3 blocks away.

Mapes was sentenced to 2 years of adult probation, a $200 county fine, plus fees and court costs. Mapes was also ordered to pay $700 restitution to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office for damages incurred at the jail. Mapes other charges were dropped per the plea.

A Greene County man has been indicted in Jersey County on drug charges.

36 year old Clinton L. Elliott of Greenfield was charged Feb. 23 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony. On Feb. 17 Elliott allegedly had less than five grams of methamphetamine and was in possession of drug paraphernalia in an arrest by Jersey County Sheriff’s Deputies.

Elliott is currently being held at the Greene County Jail. Elliott was arrested by Greenfield Police on February 14^th on two counts of arson, theft between $500 and $10,000, and residential burglary. An order for Elliott to have a mental examination for fitness was made in Greene County court yesterday. A status hearing on the Greene County charges are set for March 28^th.

Elliott is due in Jersey County court on the aforementioned drug charges for a preliminary hearing on March 22^nd.