Springfield Man Charged with Enticement of Minor

Springfield, Ill. – A Springfield, Ill., man, arrested in Decatur in late July, made his initial appearance in federal court in Urbana late Friday, Sept. 18, indicted on a charge of enticement of a minor. Jeffrey Parkhurst, 58, of the 1100 block of Reynolds St., entered his plea of not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long.  Trial for Parkhurst has been scheduled on Nov. 24, 2015.  The indictment of Parkhurst was returned by the grand jury earlier this month but had remained sealed pending his federal court appearance.

The indictment alleges that on July 27, 2015, Parkhurst used the Internet and a cellular telephone to persuade, induce, and entice an individual whom he believed had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in illegal sexual activity.  Parkhurst was arrested on July 27, 2015, in Decatur, and was initially charged in state court in Macon county.

Parkhurst has remained in the custody of law enforcement since his arrest.  Judge Long ordered that Parkhurst remain in custody pending his detention hearing scheduled on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

If convicted, the statutory penalty for enticement of a minor is 10 years to life in prison plus a fine of up to $250,000.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elly M. Peirson. The charges are the result of an investigation by the Decatur Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in cooperation with the Macon County State’s Attorney’s office.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys= Offices and the Criminal Division=s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.