Probation for Elgin man accused of rape

An Elgin man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Wednesday and was sentenced to 18 months of probation.

Elijah C. Pittman, 22, was convicted of unlawful restraint, a Class 4 felony, under a plea bargain accepted by Kane County Judge Allen M. Anderson. He also was sentenced to 180 days in jail but received credit for 268 days served since his arrest.

Pittman initially was charged with 24 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony, after he and another man were accused of assaulting the teen on July 30, 2005, while she was baby-sitting two children in Elgin. A jury found him not guilty of the first 12 counts after a trial in February.

On Wednesday, prosecutors dismissed all remaining counts of sexual assault in exchange for Pittman's guilty plea to unlawful restraint. By pleading guilty, he admitted to holding down the girl's arms but not that the crime was "sexually motivated," Assistant State's Attorney Debra Bree said.

Pittman, who was expected to be released Wednesday afternoon, is not required to register as a sex offender. Court records show he has no prior criminal history in Kane County other than traffic offenses.

Pittman's co-defendant, James A. Peters, 30, of Berkeley, Ill., pleaded guilty in 2006 to one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison.