EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine announced Thursday that a jury returned guilty verdicts against a Glen Carbon man who sexually assaulted a child. The jury convicted Jesse W. Chartrand, 43, of one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
Chartrand committed sexual acts with the child between Aug. 17, 2019, and July 30, 2020.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“Crimes against children are the worst,” Haine said. “We continue to pray for the healing of the victim, who testified bravely in this case. We also thank the dedicated work of police, prosecutors, and the staff at the Madison County Child Advocacy Center. Thanks to their tremendous work, this predator was convicted and is facing a long prison sentence.”
Key to the prosecution’s case were an interview of the victim, conducted by staff of the Child Advocacy Center, and an interview of Chartrand, conducted by Glen Carbon Police. Chartrand had claimed that he suffered delusions. Chartrand asked jurors to find him not guilty by reason of insanity.
Assistant State’s Attorney Emily Bell argued that Chartrand was trying to “excuse his behavior.”
The prosecutor played for jurors a video recording of Chartrand’s police interview.
“He was legally sane,” Bell told jurors in her closing argument. “He is responsible for what he did.”
Haine noted that the investigation started with the child being able to talk with a skilled interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center about what happened.
“The CAC plays a critical role in providing support to child victims and their families, and in helping to ensure they receive justice,” Haine said. Haine also commended Bell and Assistant State’s Attorney Alison Foley, along with Glen Carbon Police, for their work on the case.
Predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, which is the more serious of the charges, is a class X felony and carries a sentence of six to 60 years in prison. Sentencing will be scheduled later. The jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon and returned the verdicts Wednesday evening.
More like this:
