A 56-year-old Vernon man was cleared of a Class X predatory criminal sexual assault of a child charge in Marion County Court Wednesday when Judge Mark Stedelin issued a directed verdict in his favor during a jury trial.
Darrin Jenkins of Wisher Road was charged with inappropriate touching of a person under the age of 13 for his sexual gratification between August 2012 and May 2014. The charge was not filed until November 2021 under a provision of the law that allowed the sex charge to be filed outside the normal statute of limitations.
Jenkins’s attorney Jessica Koester first sought a directed verdict at the end of the prosecution’s case on Tuesday, but had the motion denied by Judge Stedelin. After the defense completed its case, which included testimony from Darrin Jenkins, the defense once again made a motion for a directed verdict and it was granted this time.
As a result, the jury was dismissed without getting to the deliberation portion of the trial.
If found guilty, Jenkins faced a sentencing range of six to 60 years in prison.
