Local Man Arrested on Sex Charges

Effingham city police have arrested a rural Teutopolis man on a charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and two counts of failure to register as a sex offender.

21-year-old Larry A. Bedwell III faces the two latter charges for failure to notify authorities of a change of address and failure to notify authorities of a change of employment.

(BEDWELL)

Bedwell was taken into custody on Wednesday following an investigation conducted by city police detectives after receiving criminal allegations.

During the investigation, Bedwell, a sexual predator who is required to register, was found to be non-compliant in his registration and was booked into Effingham County Jail. It was discovered Bedwell had been residing in the 300 block of North 3rd Street. That's within proximity of a school, which is a prohibited area for registered sexual predators. Bedwell was registered at an address in rural Teutopolis. Investigators also found evidence to support the charge of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

The investigation determined that Bedwell did not have contact with any area students or enter any school property.

Bedwell is expected to be formally charged Friday, when bond will be set on the charges.

Failure to register is a Class 3 Felony, punishable by up to two to five years in prison. Aggravated criminal sexual abuse is a Class 2 Felony, punishable by up to three to seven years in prison.