Morton man enters plea in knife attack incident

MORTON, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois man has pleaded guilty to charges related to an incident in which he tried to kill another man due to child pornography charges he faced.

Dustin Brown, 20, entered two guilty but mentally ill plea agreements that produced a sentence range of 16 to 94 years in prison, the Pekin Daily Times (http://bit.ly/2fhrBcB ) reported. He'll be sentenced Dec. 21.

Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Johnson told Circuit Judge Paul Gilfillan that Brown's evaluation showed that he suffers from autism spectrum disorder, a condition that can limit abilities to communicate and function socially. Brown will be eligible to receive mental health treatment, but must serve his time in prison, Johnson said. State law requires Brown to serve at least 85 percent of his total term.

Brown was charged in February 2015 with 22 counts of possessing child pornography. The investigation began during Brown's senior year at Morton High School after child porn was found in a Dropbox file.

Authorities said Brown entered the Morton Public Library in October 2015 with two knives, saying he was going to kill more than a dozen children. Army veteran James Vernon, then 75, was injured as he fought Brown, managing to pin Brown onto a table and hold him until help arrived.

Brown told police that the children had become targets of revenge for his pornography charges.

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Information from: Pekin Daily Times, http://www.pekintimes.com