45 years in prison. That’s the sentence handed down Monday afternoon by Judge William C. Hudson to sex offender Jeffrey Isham. In December, a Wabash County jury deliberated less than 90 minutes before finding the 31 year old Mt. Carmel man guilty of the Class X felony of predatory criminal sexual assault.
Isham was charged in September of 2019 for an incident with a then 11 year old family member who testified during the trial that Isham dragged her by the hair into a bathroom where the assault took place at Isham’s Keensburg home.
At today’s sentencing hearing, state’s attorney Kelli Storckman called the victim’s therapist to the witness stand. She testified the victim continues to suffer trauma from the attack and it’s hard to determine how long that will continue.
Isham faced up to 60 years in prison with Storckman recommending 45 years saying Isham needed to be locked up for a long time as a deterrent to others and to keep Isham away from hurting others.
Before the sentence was announced, Isham read a statement continuing to proclaim his innocence saying the jury was “gravely mistaken” that he was guilty of the crime. He said the jury and judge in the case would have to carry the burden of sending an innocent man to prison.
A statement from the victim was read into the record as the young lady said she was still “angry and upset” as to what happened and that some in her extended family still don’t believe or support her. She asked that Isham be sentenced to the maximum.
After a 10 minute break, Hudson came back with the 45 year sentence, of which Isham will have to serve at least 85%, or more than 38 years. Isham was escorted back to the Wabash County Jail to await transfer to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Jeffrey Isham is led back to the Wabash County Jail after being sentenced Monday to 45 years in prison for sexually assaulting a family member in 2019.