Accused abductor, rapist won't face life sentence

Richard Gallatin got some good news recently.

Gallatin, the Pleasant Prairie, Wis., man charged with kidnapping a woman from the Gurnee Mills parking lot and raping her, was originally thought to be facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Lake County prosecutors said at Gallatin's July 29 arraignment that he was eligible for life because he had been convicted in Wisconsin of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Illinois law mandates a life term for anyone convicted of two or more sexual assaults, and Gallatin at first appeared to be eligible.

But Assistant State's Attorney Matthew Demartini said last week that the official documents regarding Gallatin's Wisconsin conviction had been received in his office, and those records showed that Gallatin had pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree sexual assault of a child, making Gallatin unqualified for the life term.

Not that the picture is completely rosy for Gallatin.

Demartini said Gallatin is still looking at a sentencing range of 45 to 120 years in prison if convicted of the all the charges against him.

The investigation into the matter is continuing, Demartini said, and additional charges are still possible.

Staying putThe Lake County state's attorney's office of child support enforcement will be staying in its current location for at least another year.The county recently approved a new lease on the office space at 33 N. County St. in Waukegan, directly across the street from the courthouse, that will run from Sept. 1 until Aug. 31, 2011.The lease calls for monthly payments of $4,194.75, or a total of $50,337 for the year.