Opening statements were heard Tuesday morning in Wabash County Circuit Court in the trial of a former Mount Carmel man charged with multiple child sex offenses.
A jury was selected and seated Monday evening ahead of the trial of 45-year-old Joseph Sellers of Janesville, Wisconsin. Sellers, a former Mount Carmel resident, moved away in 1999 to join the U.S. Army.
During her opening statement, Wabash County State's Attorney Kelli Storckman told jurors the alleged victim and Sellers attended the same church and that Sellers' mother babysat the child. Storckman said evidence will show the alleged abuse occurred while the child sat on Sellers' lap as he played video games.
Storckman argued the incidents happened repeatedly, causing the alleged victim to believe the behavior was normal. She described the case as being about "opportunity and secrets," noting that although the alleged acts occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they were not reported until 2019 when another church member learned of the allegations and contacted authorities.
Defense attorney Monroe McWard told jurors there is no objective evidence proving the state's case. McWard also criticized investigators, claiming they failed to pursue information that could have demonstrated Sellers' innocence.
The alleged victim, now 25 years old, was the first witness called by the prosecution.
Sellers is charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Court records indicate the allegations involve incidents that allegedly occurred between September 1997 and October 2000 involving a 7-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy.
Sellers has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial is expected to continue through the remainder of the week.
As with all criminal cases, Sellers is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.