Joliet man sentenced for sexually abusing boy on way to birthday party

JOLIET, Ill. - A Joliet man who was convicted of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy he was taking to a birthday party in 2018 has been sentenced to prison.

Quinton Jenkins, 41, pled guilty last month to a felony charge of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison by Circuit Judge David Carlson on Wednesday, according to a statement from Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow.

On Dec. 1, 2018, the boy's mother was unable to take her 11-year-old son to a birthday party in Joliet and Jenkins offered to take him for her, Glasgow said in the statement. Instead of taking him to the party, Jenkins drove the boy to his apartment where he sexually assaulted him.

The boy called his mom, who then contacted Joliet police. Jenkins was taken into custody and the boy was transported to Presence St. Josephy Medical Center.

Quinton Jenkins (Will County States Attorney)

"What should have been a fun afternoon at a birthday party turned into a life-altering nightmare for this young boy because of the horrific sexual assault by this serial child predator with a history of taking advantage of young children," Glasgow said.

"This case demonstrates that boys as well as girls are all-too-often the victims of sexual abuse. Sadly, many times, children keep silent about the abuse because they don’t fully understand it, are afraid of the abuser, or feel ashamed about something that was in no way their fault. This young boy should be commended for his courage in speaking up about the abuse."

Jenkins will serve 85% of the sentence and has received 1,971 days credit for time already served, Glasgow said. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, and three years to the rest of his life on mandatory supervised release.

Jenkins had previously served 10 years in prison after he was convicted of sexual abuse in two cases involving minors in Iowa, according to Glasgow.