Oct 14, 2006 9:25 am US/Central
Kane County Candidate Indicted In Abuse Case
Brent Schepp Charged With Abuse Of Teen Girls Last Year
GENEVA, Ill. (AP) ―
A
Kane County grand jury has indicted a Republican county board candidate on 26 counts stemming from the alleged sexual abuse of two underage girls last year.
In the indictment handed down Friday, civil engineer Brent Schepp, 36, was named in 14 counts of criminal sexual assault, 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of unlawful delivery of alcohol to a minor.
The arrest warrant for Schepp set his bond at $75,000. If convicted, he could face a minimum mandatory sentence of 34 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, the victims were two girls who are now 15 and 16 years old. The sexual contact is alleged to have occurred between June 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2005.
Prosecutors said Schepp knew the victims beforehand but would not say how he came to know them.
Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Justin Fitzsimmons said all the charged incidents occurred in Schepp's home.
Schepp who is married with young children, was uncontested in the Republican primary in March and has been campaigning in the 3rd District on the south side of Aurora against Democrat Arlene Shoemaker.
GOP officials said they have not talked to Schepp directly about quitting the race, but Kane County Republican Organization Chairman Dennis Wiggins said in a prepared statement that "our party cannot endorse a candidate in the upcoming elections who is currently under a cloud of suspicion for such alleged conduct."
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