Man convicted of assaulting girl

BLOOMINGTON -- A Bloomington man who claimed the sexual contact he had with a girl under 13 years old was initiated by the victim has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Jerimy Robertson's initial statements to police when arrested in May included accusations the girl sought the sexual activity with him.

Robertson pleaded guilty to predatory criminal sexual assault in a deal reached with prosecutors. He looked at the floor through most of the sentencing hearing, which included statements read by the victim and her mother.

Looking directly at Robertson, a family friend, the girl's mother said the victim is an emotional wreck.

In asking for a 17-year prison sentence for the convicted man, prosecutor Suzanne Geller told Judge Charles Reynard that Robertson had painted the child as a menace.