A Jacksonville man accused of sexually abusing a teenager over three years ago pleaded guilty to those charges in Morgan County Circuit Court on Thursday.
31-year old James D. Craig of the 900 block of West Lafayette Avenue pleaded guilty to Class 2 felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse to a teenager.
Charging documents in the case accuse Craig of having sex with a minor on or about August 9, 2020. According to Jacksonville Police records, Craig was arrested on the evening of August 8, 2020 on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after police said at the time juveniles were consuming alcohol at his residence. Upon further investigation, Craig was charged with the sexual abuse charges in December 2021.
The case went through multiple continuances, scheduling conflicts, and a change of judge.
On Thursday, Morgan County Associate Judge Jeffrey Tobin sentenced Craig to 3 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, 1 year of mandatory supervised release, and ordered him to pay court costs. Craig was given credit for a single day served in the Morgan County Jail. Craig will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.