Monday, November 9, 2009

Intimidation nets Sessom 2 1/2 yrs. in prison

PRESS RELEASE

November 9, 2009

CHICAGO MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR THREATENING TO RAPE AND KILL A 17-YEAR-OLD WOODSTOCK GIRL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Louis A. Bianchi, McHenry County State’s Attorney, is pleased to announce that
Marcus Sessom was sentenced to 2 ½ years in the Department of Corrections by the Honorable Judge Sharon Prather for the offense of Intimidation. Sessom, a Chicago man, was convicted of threatening to rape and kill a 17-year-old girl with special needs if she did not enter into his motor vehicle. Sessom approached the girl as she was walking along St. Johns Road in Woodstock after exiting her school bus. The girl became frightened and ran away unharmed before alerting authorities.

Denying the offense, Sessom told Woodstock Police Officers that he talked to the girl because he was “driving down the street trying to pick up girls, because that is what he does.”

Intimidation is a Class 3 offense for which the defendant faced a sentencing range of 2 to 10 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Ryan Blackney and David Johnston. Prosecutors sought a 6 year term in the Department of Corrections at the sentencing hearing.

2 comments:

Debra said...

Judge Prather seems to be building quite a record of giving these sexual offenders get out of jail free cards. I used to respect her but now I think it might be her time to retire. Sad really.

Gus said...

Debra, do you think a 2 1/2-year sentence is a get-out-of-jail-free card? I'm not sure how little time he'll actually serve (4-5 months?), but time in a state penitentiary can't be any kind of a picnic. Plus he'll have probation after release; right?