Crime & Safety
Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Raping 9-Year-Old Mentor Girl
Brandon Phillip Lee will be sentenced Oct. 30.
An Illinois man has admitted to molesting a 9-year-old girl from Mentor.
According to a report from The News-Herald, 24-year-old Brandon Phillip Lee pleaded guilty to rape and attempted kidnapping Thursday morning in Lake County Common Pleas Court. The prosecution said Lee committed the act while staying in the same apartment as the girl and two other people in August or September of 2008.
Judge Joe Gibson will sentence Lee on Oct. 30. He can could serve anywhere from three to 18 years in prison. Lee will have to register as a Tier 3 sexual offender for the rest of his life.
The prosecutor and Assistant County Public Defender Margaret Campbell jointly recommended 15 years in prison, according to the report.
Lee was secretly indicted earlier this year after the girl told people what occurred in 2008. He received 120 days in jail and four years probation in Stephenson County Court in Illinois for the aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 4-year-old.
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