Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Presence in a School Zone

By Jeremy Coumbes on December 10, 2022 at 7:00am

A Jacksonville man pleaded guilty to unlawfully being on school grounds as a sex offender in Morgan County Court Thursday.

59-year-old Paul A. Kluge of Jacksonville pleaded guilty to a class four felony charge of unlawful presence in a school zone by a sex offender when persons under 18 are present, stemming from an arrest on November 9th, 2021 at Jacksonville Middle School.

Kluge was sentenced to serve four days in the Morgan County Jail with credit given for two days served. He was ordered to pay a $500.00 county fine plus fees and court costs and given two years of conditional discharge.

Kluge was required to register as a sex offender after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal sexual abuse in June of 2019 after he had contact with someone known to him who was under the age of 18.

A felony charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a family member under the age of 18 was dismissed per the plea in 2019.