Williams Gets 44 Years in Prison in Shelby County

A total of 44 years in prison is facing a Tower Hill man after he was sentenced Friday in Shelby County Circuit Court.

56-year-old Chris Williams was found guilty by a Shelby County jury in January of four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. Williams was sentenced to 16 years in prison on each of  two of the counts, and to six years in prison on each of the other two counts. The sentences will run consecutively, not together, and Williams will have to serve as at least 85% of the sentences.

The State's theory of the case was that Williams intentionally lured unsuspecting children to his lakeside home for overnight visits by allowing them access to multiple recreational veicles and unlimited recreational activities. The State argued that Williams would then prey on the most vulnerable children, sexually assaulting them while they slept.

In addition to the prison time, Williams was given a $1,000 fine on each of the four charges.