Altamont Man Receives 25-Year Prison Term in Marion County

Altamont resident Mark Redfern has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

The sentence was imposed Tuesday afternoon in Marion County Circuit Court in Salem. Judge Mark Stedlin could have imposed a sentence of as little as six years or as much as 30 years in prison for the Class X felony.

The 35-year-old Redfern was found guilty earlier this year by a Marion County jury after more than five hours of deliberation. At trial, prosecutors presented evidence from the now five-year-old victim via closed circuit TV. The victim's step-sister, now 16, testified to sexual abuse Redfern allegedly committed against her when she was seven to nine years old. The victim in the trial was three years old at the time of the offense in 2013. The victim's mother, who initially made the disclosure, testified along with the Illinois State Police agent who handled the investigation. Agent Holly Finney played a video interview of what the girl had told her prior to the warrant being issued for Redfern's arrest.

Redfern's mother testified that she was present in the house at the time the sexual acts allegedly occurred and said she saw nothing unusual. Redfern also testified on his own behalf and denied assaulting or abusing the victim.