In April 2008, 40-year-old Brad Carter was arrested in Marion, Illinois on charges of sexually molesting his stepdaughter beginning in 2006 when she was 14 years old.
Carter went to trial in Williamson County Circuit Court in April 2013 on three counts of criminal sexual abuse. The complainant testified that she had sexual contact with Carter on several occasions between 2006 and July of 2007. She told the jury that the relationship started with her sexually stimulating Carter with her hand, but eventually escalated to oral sex.
There was no physical or forensic evidence linking Carter to the charges.
Carter testified and denied that he engaged in any sexual activity with the complainant.
On April 11, 2013, Carter, who had been free on bond, was convicted on all three counts. He was taken into custody pending sentencing.
Prior to sentencing, Carter’s attorney, John Randall Patchett, discovered that one of the jurors had provided false information during jury selection. The juror had denied that he had any pending court cases at the time of trial and denied that he had any previous contact with the Williamson County State’s Attorney’s Office. In fact, the juror had a divorce case pending at the time of the time of trial and the State’s Attorney’s Office had prosecuted him for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Patchett filed a motion for a new trial, which was granted in July 2013. Carter was released on bond after 110 days in custody.
Carter went to trial a second time in January 2015, electing to have the case decided by a judge instead of a jury. The complainant again testified to having sexual activity with Carter. The defense called a new witness who was an acquaintance of the complainant. The witness testified that the woman had told him that her allegations were false and that she and her mother had concocted the story because her mother was angry with Carter (the couple later divorced).
On January 28, 2015, a judge acquitted Carter of the charges.
– Maurice Possley
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