An Oklahoma man who was acquitted of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl in Crystal Lake but found guilty on lesser charges has been sentenced to probation by a judge.
Oddey J. Helms, 40, of the 1800 block of Parkway Drive in Moore, Oklahoma, was indicted on two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of domestic battery.
A bench trial was held on April 14 and April 15 by McHenry County Circuit Judge Robert Wilbrandt.
Wilbrandt found Helms guilty of domestic battery but not guilty of the aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges, court records show.
The charges stemmed from November 2018 after Helms showed up uninvited at a family member’s Crystal Lake home for Thanksgiving.
He stayed at the home for several nights until he was told to leave after the victim, then 15, told her mother that Helms had sexually abused her.
The Northwest Herald reported that prosecutors read aloud a written statement from the victim during the trial.
She described ongoing nightmares and anxiety following what happened with Helms, the Northwest Herald reported.
“I no longer feel like I can open up to those around me,” the woman wrote.
Deputies with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office arrested Helms at a hotel in Crystal Lake shortly after the incident was reported to them.
Wilbrandt said he was not certain the acts were committed for “sexual gratification” when he found Helms not guilty on the most serious charges but guilty on the lesser domestic battery charges, the Northwest Herald reported.
Wilbrandt sentenced Helms on Thursday to probation, a mental health evaluation, and 52 days in jail, for which he has already completed after receiving 104 days of credit for time served in the county jail.
Helms is also required to pay approximately $2,200 in court fines and fees.