Guilty Plea to Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of Child

An area man has pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

(KEITH JOHNSON)

61-year-old Keith Johnson admitted to taking improper actions against a girl under age 13 at his home in Dieterich in September 2018. Johnson initially faced two separate counts of the same offense, but one of the counts was dismissed as part of a negotiated plea agreement.

Each of the counts carries a penalty of six to 60 years, and the counts would have been served consecutively had Johnson been found guilty of both offenses. Instead, Johnson agreed to a cap of 30 years in prison as the maximum sentence he could face. Family members of the victim were in court for Tuesday's hearing and Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said they agreed to the plea bargain as it would spare the victim from having to testify about the incidents in court.

Judge Allan Lolie ordered a pre-sentence investigation ahead of Johnson's sentencing, which was set for 1pm on December 10.