Sheldon R. Taulbee, who listed an address at 112 N. Madison St. in Sibley, was charged in Ford County Circuit Court in September 2012 with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a Class 4 felony. He was later sentenced to 18 months of probation and was ordered to receive a psychiatric evaluation.
On May 12, Taulbee admitted he violated his probation by having sexual contact with a girl under age 18, and he was sentenced by Judge Matt Fitton to three years in state prison for the probation violation. State’s Attorney Randy Yedinak said three years is the maximum prison sentence for a Class 4 felony.
Taulbee also was sentenced May 12 to six years in prison — to run concurrent with the three-year prison term — after pleading guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.
Yedinak said the female victim was between 13 and 17 years old, and the sexual contact occurred on Jan. 30, 2015.
Taulbee will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life once released from the Illinois Department of Corrections, Yedinak said. He also will be required to serve two years of mandatory supervised release after he is let out of prison. He will receive 56 days of credit for time already served at the Ford County Jail.
Taulbee had faced a prison sentence ranging from three to seven years for the aggravated criminal sexual abuse charge.
“In my experience I have learned that, often times, the criminal justice system deals with two types of criminals — those that we are mad at and those that we are scared of,” Yedinak said in a statement.
“The two should be treated differently. As a prosecutor, my job is to determine which one is which, and handle their cases accordingly. The sentences received on Taulbee ... are indicative of very serious, dangerous crimes. Sex offenses involving minors are easily the most difficult cases any prosecutor has to deal with.”
(Paxton Record - May 14, 2015)
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