Man found guilty of attempted sex assault on Sterling school grounds

MORRISON – A Whiteside County jury has found a Freeport man guilty of attempted predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13 in connection with a reported assault at a Sterling school playground in 2023.

The eight-man, four-woman jury found Leandrew T. Adams, 22, guilty Thursday night after deliberating for 2½ hours.

The case stems from charges filed in April 2023 that accused Adams of luring a 12-year-old girl into an alcove near the playground at Sterling’s Washington Elementary School and then sexually assaulting her. In all, Adams also faced four additional sex charges at trial; the jury found him not guilty of all four of those counts, which were two counts of aggravated battery in a public place and two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a victim younger than 13.

[ Whiteside County jury hears allegations at center of Sterling sex assault case ]

The trial got underway Tuesday with jury selection, with the first day of testimony beginning Wednesday morning. Under questioning by Whiteside County Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Homan, the girl, now 14, told the jury that in April 2023, she and a 12-year-old boy she went to school with met a new friend while hanging out on the playground at Sterling’s Jefferson Elementary School.

The girl and the new friend – a male the girl thought was anywhere from 14 to 16 years old - exchanged Snapchat information, she said. After the two messaged each other over the next couple of days, the three got together again April 12, 2023, after the newest friend called the girl on her phone while she and the 12-year-old boy were at Kilgour Park in Sterling, she said.

The girl testified that the three met at Kilgour and decided that it was time to leave when some other kids got rowdy. They headed to Washington Elementary School’s playground. The girl testified that when they ended up at Washington, the three sat on benches and played on the monkey bars. The 12-year-old boy had to leave, so the girl walked away with that friend but later returned to the Washington School grounds and rejoined Adams, she said. Several minutes of security footage taken at the school shows the two swinging on the playground swings.

The girl said that she and Adams, whom she called Drew, walked around the playground for several minutes and into what is known as the grassy “U-shape” portion of the schoolyard that is surrounded by structures on three sides.

A tiny alcove, which could not be seen on camera and is secluded, is where the two ended up, she said. The girl said that as they entered the alcove, Adams pulled her close to him, pinned her with his arms from behind, put one hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming, and then moved that hand to her neck. She said he then moved the same hand under her leggings and sexually assaulted her.

She said she broke free as he was pulling down his pants and that she ran as fast as she could until she became breathless. She caught her breath and made her way to a woman who was walking near the school.

The woman, Ashley Walls, testified that she was at the park with her son when she noticed a man sitting on the school grounds who was later joined by a female. She said it was that female who later ran toward her asking for help. She said the girl asked her to call 911 because her phone wasn’t working. Walls called 911 to report what the girl had said happened to her.

Whiteside County Public Defender James Fagerman, who defended Adams, told the jury Wednesday and again on Thursday that the girl’s version of what happened changed over time.

One of the facets of that story, he said, was that the girl told police that Adams had dragged her to the alcove; however, camera footage did not confirm that. And although the camera did not capture all of their walk to the alcove, the girl later admitted that she was not dragged there. She told the jury that she initially reported she had been dragged because of the emotions she was experiencing and because of things that were going on in her life.

Fagerman said the fact that the girl said she was dragged and later admitted that it wasn’t true showed an inconsistency that could not be overlooked. He said she told the jury that the events happened April 15, 2023, when they actually took place April 12.

Another facet of testimony over the two days focused on a DNA sample taken from the girl’s right ear during a physical examination. The girl testified that Adams was kissing her ear while she was with him, pinned, in the alcove.

Homan said the DNA found on her ear did include DNA from a male and that Adams' DNA was a match. DNA testing results, as presented to the jury by forensics experts, indicated that DNA from three people was detected in the sample from the ear: the victim’s, a DNA profile that matched Adams' and a third person who they cannot identify.

The state rested its case Thursday morning; the defense presented no witnesses, with Adams declining the opportunity to testify in his own defense.

In his closing statements Thursday afternoon, Fagerman said that the DNA on the girl’s ear didn’t necessarily end up on the girl’s ear because of kissing or licking by Adams, but it could have landed there as the result of a sneeze or a “wet willy.”

As a result, Fagerman told the jury, the prosecution’s case had come up short in proving Adams had sexually assaulted the girl.

“There are holes in her story,” Fagerman said, adding that she was not a reliable narrator.

Homan disagreed.

“She has been consistent about what the defendant did to her body,” she said.

Adams will be sentenced at 11 a.m. April 21. He faces anywhere from six to 60 years in prison.