James Marshall Owens, Sexual Exploitation Of A Minor, Illinois 2013

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Lands Former Bus Driver Behind Bars

A former Taylorville school bus driver has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a minor. James Marshall Owens, 44, of Owaneco, Illinois, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough on February 24, 2014.

Owens, who was arrested in May 2013, pleaded guilty to enticing individuals under the age of 18 to engage in sexual activity for which a person could be charged with a criminal offense. The offenses took place from August 2012 to May 2013 and from December 2012 to February 2013.

The charges were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Illinois State Police, and the Christian County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris prosecuted the case with the cooperation of the Christian County State's Attorney's Office.

Owens will remain on supervised release for 20 years following his term of imprisonment.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Owens' sentence is a reminder that those who prey on vulnerable children will be held accountable for their crimes.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdil/pr/christian-county-man-serve-12-years-prisonfor-sexual-exploitation-minor