Oswego man found guilty of child sexual abuse

A jury has found an 83-year-old Oswego man guilty of criminal sexual abuse of a child, according to a news release from the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Allen Taft was was convicted of three separate counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse following a jury trial on Aug. 12, according to the release. The jury deliberated for just over one hour before returning guilty verdicts on all charges.

Taft’s bond was immediately revoked and he was remanded to the custody of the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release. He will be sentenced on Oct. 8 and faces a minimum sentence of 21 years in prison.

Charges against Taft were filed after an investigation began in April 2022. The victim told law enforcement investigators that Taft had committed multiple acts over a period of several years, beginning when the victim was a young child, according to the release.

“The victim, who is now an adult, had kept this abuse a secret for many years until finally having the courage to come forward and report the abuse to law enforcement,” Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis said in the release. “The courage of this victim and her confidence in the State’s Attorney’s Office to come forward and confront her abuser in open court and testify about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of this offender allowed justice to be served.”

A detective from the Oswego Police Department interviewed Taft, where he confirmed some of the acts he committed against the victim many years ago, according to the release.

The incidents allegedly occurred between July 2008 and July 2015. The charges were the result of a 10-month Oswego Police investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Weis and Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Cusack.