A 21-year-old Salem man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault.
Dustin Peach had entered a guilty plea to the Class X charge in April in exchange for three child pornography charges being dropped.
Under the sentence handed down by Judge Mark Stedelin, Peach will have to serve at least 85-percent of the prison term. Once he is out of prison, Peach will have to serve three years of mandatory supervised release. He was given credit for 573 days already served in the Marion County Jail.
Peach was arrested on January 21st, 2021 following a tip to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that led to a joint investigation with Salem Police. A search warrant was issued on Peach’s home on South Lackey Street where a cell phone was seized that allegedly contained pornographic photos of a three year old child.
Salem Police say during questioning, Peach reportedly admitted to committing a sexual act with the child in the photos.
The photos and sex act occurred in December 2020 while Peach was babysitting the three year old.
