Jail time for businessman found guilty of sexually abusing Port Barrington child during family visits

An Oregon man – described by his attorney as a successful businessman, Eagle Scout and former eucharistic minister – was sentenced to jail time and probation Friday for sexually abusing a former Port Barrington child.

James Schlight, 69, was found guilty in January by McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt on seven counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child younger than 13, Class 2 felonies, according to records in McHenry County court. The sentencing range on a Class 2 felony is probation to up to seven years in prison.

Schlight must serve half of a 60-day jail sentence and also received three years of probation, which he will be allowed to transfer to Oregon. He also is required to pay his victim’s therapy bills not covered by insurance. He must register as a sex offender for life, Gerhardt said.

Schlight was accused of abusing the child in her home during visits to her family while she was between the ages of 6 and about 11, according to trial testimony.

Assistant State’s Attorney Ashur Youash argued Friday that Schlight is a danger to the community and cited the seriousness of his crimes and his betrayal of the girl’s and her family’s trust. The prosecutor asked for four years in prison for Schlight to deter others from abusing children.

In asking for probation, Schlight’s attorney, Catharine O’Daniel, said he is not a threat and has been remorseful. She detailed Schlight’s career in computer sciences and software as the owner of Oregon-based Simply Inspired Software; his invitation to join the high-IQ group Mensa; the multiple degrees and patents he holds; and his good deeds, including feeding the homeless and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

He also has no criminal background – not even a traffic ticket, she said. His conviction automatically requires that he register as a sex offender for life, and O’Daniel said that was enough to send a message of deterrence.

Youash referenced Schlight’s higher education and multiple degrees, saying, “Clearly, he is an educated man ... but being smart still didn’t teach him to keep his hands” off a child.

As for Schlight being an Eagle Scout, Youash said there is a loyalty promise that comes with that title, and he clearly did not keep loyalty to the child or the family.

The child and her family read impact statements via Zoom, saying Schlight, who they had know for several years, held a position of trust, and he betrayed that trust. They said he showed no remorse for his actions. The girl’s father said he remembers his child coming to him and the “cracking of her voice” when she handed him a letter saying Schlight had abused her. Her father said he was emotional and felt like a failure.

The child’s mother said her daughter has struggled with depression and anxiety as a result of Schlight’s actions. It has affected her at school and in sports, and there were “many days she would hardly leave her room,” her mom said.

The victim called Schlight “a coward,” and when the trial is over, she said that he “won’t cross my mind again.”

“No one in their right mind would do this,” she said, adding that she is standing up for other little girls. “You are a child predator, and you will forever be known as one.”

Schlight declined his opportunity to make a statement.

Prosecutors said the abuse occurred over four years, from 2014 to 2018, with the charges filed in 2021 after the girl told her parents about Schlight’s actions in a letter, McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Neubauer said during the trial.

Schlight was a family friend who visited the family at least twice a year. He would stay in the family’s basement guest bedroom, where he would repeatedly invite the child to his bed and give her “back rubs,” Neubauer said at trial.

The sexual abuse would “continue for years,” every time Schlight would visit, until the victim started to question what was happening to her at the age of about 11 or 12, Neubauer said at trial.

Schlight was taken into custody at the county jail after the hearing.