Lengthy Prison Term Handed Down in Clay County for Sex Offenses

A lengthy prison time has been given a Flora man for two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

26-year-old Braxton D. Allen was charged with the two counts in May, involving a victim who was under age 13 at the time of the offenses in 2021. Allen pleaded guilty to the offenses and was sentenced to 17 years in prison Monday by Judge Kevin Parker. Allen will be placed on mandatory supervised release for a period of three years to life, and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Clay County State's Attorney Phillip Givens said the lead investigation was conducted by the Illinois State Police assisted by the Flora Police Department.

Givens said, "I am grateful for the victim in this case to receive a sense of justice for what occurred. It takes a lot of bravery for a minor victim to come forward when these awful things happen behind closed doors. The minor victim's voice was certainly heard today, and we will continue to fight for the children in our community alongside our hardworking law enforcement officers for the best interest of justice."