IYC-St. Charles employee pleads guilty to felony official misconduct of sex with young inmate

ST. CHARLES TOWNSHIP – A former juvenile justice center employee was sentenced to 30 months of probation in exchange for a guilty plea to felony official misconduct – that is, she had a sexual relationship with an inmate at the Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Kane County Associate Judge Salvatore LoPiccolo accepted the plea agreement with Antionette Perkins, 33, of Berwyn. The agreement also includes that she complete 100 hours of community service by Jan. 15, 2024, forfeit any future government employment, and she cannot have contact with the former Illinois Youth Center inmate.

Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser stated in court that in October 2020, Perkins engaged in sexual conduct with a resident at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles while she was an IYC juvenile justice specialist at the time.

Perkins resigned from the Illinois Department of Corrections in November 2020, the release stated.

“Ms. Perkins was in a position of trust over this 18-year-old IYC inmate,” Mosser stated in the release.

“Her criminal actions are magnified because so many IYC inmates are from at-risk situations. They should be able to trust those who are there to look out for their best interests,” Mosser stated in the release. “Instead, Ms. Perkins betrayed the trust of the inmate she took advantage of, along with the community. A conviction for official misconduct means she can no longer be employed by the government in any capacity.”

In the release, Mosser thanked Illinois Department of Correction Investigator Jimmy Sullivan on his work which resulted in the charges against Perkins, along with the cooperation of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, “to see that justice is done in this case.”