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.