A Carrollton man will be serving local jail time for the next three months after being found guilty in Greene County Court back in June for a 2020 sexual assault of a minor.
23 year old Tanner L. Schofield of Carrollton was found guilty by a jury of a single count of predatory criminal sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 13, a Class 2 felony, on June 25th in Greene County Circuit Court.
Schofield was originally charged with a Class X Felony Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a victim under the age of 13 after being arrested in September 2020. According to charging documents, Schofield was alleged to improperly touched a minor victim family member for sexual gratification on or about August 13, 2020 at a Carrollton residence.
Schofield’s conviction came after 3 days of testimony and the charge being amended in court. The case was tried by Special Apellate Prosecutor Lorinda Lamken of Springfield for the state.
The original class X felony charge is a non-probationable offense that carries a 6-60 year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The amended class 2 felony carries a 3-7 year sentencing range to IDOC, but is probationable by the court’s discretion.
Prior to sentencing on September 30th, two victim impact statements were given in court according to the Greene Prairie Press – one by the victim’s mother and the other by the victim. The victim told the court that they are currently on medication for psychological effects stemming from the incident that has caused them severe pain and personal trauma.
After a brief recess, visiting Jersey County Circuit Judge Allison Lorton sentenced Schofield to 90 days in the Greene County Jail, 3 years of adult probation, and ordered him to pay a $1,500 fine plus fees and court costs. Schofield was also given a restitution order to pay for co-pays to the victim’s family for the victim’s continued mental health starting with the current year. The amounts will later be set by the court. Schofield is also being ordered to undergo sex offender treatment and any other recommended mental health counseling and treatment as ordered by doctors.
Schofield asked for a stay on his jail sentence to October 19th to attend a family gathering and also submitted motions for acquittal and a request for a new trial. All three requests were denied by Judge Lorton and Schofield was remanded to the custody of the Greene County Sheriff to begin serving his local jail sentence.