Elgin man admits raping elderly woman

An Elgin man was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting an elderly woman at the nursing home where they both were patients.

Christopher P. Shelton, 22, pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual assault in exchange for the sentence approved by Kane County Circuit Judge Thomas E. Mueller. He had faced up to 30 years if convicted at trial.

Prosecutors said Shelton snuck into the room of a 69-year-old woman at Maplewood Care, 50 N. Jane Drive, Elgin, and raped her Jan. 17. Shelton entered the room while the victim was asleep, and nursing staff later found him hiding in her bathroom, according to a news release from the Kane County state's attorney's office.

In August, Shelton was found fit to stand trial, based on a doctor's mental evaluation, despite psychotropic medication he was taking.

By law, Shelton must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, or about 10 years. He will receive credit for 335 days served in the county jail since his arrest in January.