Trial Set for Ex-minister
By Chris Johnson
A jury trial has been scheduled for a former minister who is charged with sexually molesting an 11-year-old. Charles Babler, 65, Mount Morris, appeared in court Monday with his attorney, David Tess. Babler, formerly the campus pastor at Crossroads Community Church in Polo, was arrested last June 21 on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony. The arrest stemmed from an investigation into a single incident that took place in early 2011. “We have come to an impasse to negotiations,” Tess said. “We have talked.” Assistant State’s Attorney Joshua Versluys told Ogle County Judge Robert Hanson that the trial should take 2 days. Hanson set the trial to start at 9 a.m. June 17. A final pretrial conference was set for 1:30 p.m. June 5. Tess asked for his client to be excused from the June 5 pretrial for his granddaughter’s wedding. Versluys had concerns that during the wedding, Babler would have contact with persons under age 18, which his bond does not allow. “He needs to be supervised,” Versluys said. Hanson was prepared to allow Babler to attend the wedding, but the judge consented to Versluys’ request for a hearing on the matter. A hearing on a motion to amend the bond conditions was set for 10 a.m. April 28. The maximum prison term for conviction of a Class 2 felony is 3 to 7 years. Contact: cjohnson@shawmedia.com
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