Local Charges Against Larson Dismissed

The Effingham County charges filed against Steven Larson of rural Altamont have been dismissed.

Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said the charges filed locally would not lead to more prison time for Larson than has already been imposed following his guilty plea to Federal offenses.

Larson received a 108-month sentence in Federal prison after pleading guilty to transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity with a minor. The charge stemmed from Larson and a then 13-year-old girl going to Missouri where they engaged in sexual activity.

The local charges were part of an Effingham County Grand Jury indictment returned on February 18, 2015. The most serious offenses were Class 2 Felony offenses of kidnapping and indecent solicitation of a child. The maximum sentence for a Class 2 Felony in Illinois is seven years in prison. Kibler said those were the most severe charges filed because no evidence exists to suggest Larson committed any sexual acts on the girl in Illinois.

Larson will serve at least 85% of the Federal sentence and would not be eligible for parole for 91 months, or 7-1/2 years.

In deciding to withdraw the local charges, Kibler reasoned that spending taxpayer dollars and utilizing the manpower necessary to bring Larson back from Federal custody would be an inefficient use of resources. Under Illinois law, any state sentence imposed would be served concurrently with the Federal sentence, so wouldn't see any additional prison time.

Kibler said other factors he considered are that substantial amounts of evidence are in the possession of Federal authorities in Missouri, and that Larson is required to register as a sex offender for life due to his conviction. Additionally, the minor's parents support the decision to terminate Larson's pending local charges.

Kibler said, "We did a complete investigation into this matter in hopes of obtaining more prison time for Larson. Unfortunately, as Illinois law is written, Larson cannot receive any more time in addition to his Federal sentence."