Curtis found guilty, awaits sentencing
<p dir="ltr"><span>An Ellis Grove man now awaits sentencing after being found guilty of criminal sexual assault on Nov. 30 after a three-day trial in Randolph County court.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Austin J. Curtis, 24, had been accused of raping a 20-year-old college student from Carbondale after he reportedly first gained her trust through the use of social media.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>According to a news release from Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker, Curtis "was found guilty of committing an act of sexual penetration on a female victim in Chester on February 11, 2015, by the use of force and without consent of the victim."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Criminal sexual assault is a Class 1 felony with a punishment range of four to 15 years in prison, without the possibility of probation. He will not receive any day-for-day credit.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"As pleased as you can be," Walker said in a follow-up interview with the Herald Tribune regarding the verdict. "You never want to see a victim go through what they went through. We are definitely happy with the verdict and look forward to the sentencing hearing."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>After the verdict, Walker requested Curtis's bond to be revoked, which was granted by Associate Circuit Court Judge Gene Gross.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>As a result, Curtis will remain incarcerated at Randolph County Jail until his sentencing hearing, which is currently scheduled for Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. Walker told the Herald Tribune the date of the hearing may change as the victim may be unavailable.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"These are tough cases to prosecute," Walker said in his news release. "Typically, you only have two people who are present and can testify to exactly what happened, being the victim and the defendant.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"In this case, due to another possible victim coming forward, I successfully argued the jury should be allowed to hear that testimony as well.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Furthermore, we have filed an additional charge of the same offense regarding this additional alleged victim and can try Mr. Curtis for that offense as well."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Walker stated that he wished to thank the victim for coming forward.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"While the victim does not live in this area, and may never see this, I truly want to thank her for her perseverance and courage to come forward and cooperate with a prosecution," he said.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The Chester Police Department handled the investigation in this matter, with assistance from the Randolph County Sheriff's Office.</span>