Mendota man gets 18-year sentence for sexual assault

A Mendota man was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting and/or abusing three girls younger than 13. Some acts were committed more than 25 years ago.

Jeffrey S. Fitzgerald, 65, appeared in La Salle County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony carrying a sentence of six to 30 years in prison with no possibility of probation, and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony carrying three to seven years.

Fitzgerald’s plea agreement is complex. He was sentenced to back-to-back prison terms of seven years for each count of predatory criminal sexual assault, followed by a four-year sentence for sexual abuse. The predatory charges are subject to the state’s Truth in Sentencing Act, requiring certain felons to serve 85% of their sentences.

The outcome is Fitzgerald will serve about 13 years and could be released when he is about 78 years old.

Assistant La Salle County State’s Attorney Greg Sticka said in open court that had the case gone to trial, prosecutors were prepared to call two women who would testify that they were molested as girls, then ages 11 and 8. Both disclosed the offenses years later and identified Fitzgerald as their assailant, resulting in the predatory charges.

A third victim came forward and said Fitzgerald molested her at age 8 in 2008. Prosecutors filed the sexual abuse count for that conduct.

Fitzgerald admitted the conduct in an interview with a La Salle County sheriff’s deputy.

Fitzgerald declined to make a statement Friday after entering his guilty pleas. Corrections officers then led him away to await transport to the Department of Corrections.