A 37-year-old St. Louis man has pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and one Class X count of child pornography in connection with acts committed on multiple days with a girl in Salem in 2020 and 2021.
Courtney Buffkins is scheduled to be sentenced on January 2nd at one p.m.
As part of the plea, Buffkins had charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery for giving a girl a drink laced with methamphetamine, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse dropped. He still has six other charges of child pornography involving a second victim pending against him.
Buffkins admitted in the aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges of committing sex acts with the girl in March 2020 and three days in October 2021. The child pornography charge claims Buffkins recorded himself committing a sex act with the victim in November 2021.
Buffkins earlier pleaded guilty in Marion County Court to a reduced charge of misdemeanor obstructing identity. Salem Police had initially arrested Buffkins for giving a false name when he was allegedly found in a Salem motel room with the juvenile girl. He received a 364-day sentence to the Marion County Jail with credit for time served. The other charges followed an ongoing investigation.
Buffkins was scheduled to go on bench trial later this month.
