A 23-year-old Illinois man who was found guilty of sexually assaulting and impregnating a disabled woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his disgusting crimes.
Assisted-living facility worker Isaiah Fields of Batavia was charged to look after the residents of Marklund’s Hyde Center, a place which serves as home to people with physical and mental disabilities in Geneva in August 2023.
He often bathed, dressed and provided all-around assistance to the 43-year-old disabled woman, who had for more than two decades been a resident in the facility prior to the assault.
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According to the Daily Herald, the helpless woman has Rett syndrome, a disorder that prevents her from reading, writing, talking, standing or using her hands.
She was rushed to the hospital for liver and gallbladder tests in April 2024, as doctors made the heartbreaking discovery.
The disabled woman assaulted by the young Illinois man was reportedly 35 weeks pregnant while suffering from preeclampsia, which is caused by signs of liver or kidney damage and high blood pressure in pregnant women.
Her mother told a court that her daughter’s medical condition led to a distended midsection that concealed her pregnancy.
She was unaware a baby was forthcoming until an emergency Caesarean section was performed.
The baby, named R.J., was placed in neonatal intensive care, where he remained for 11 weeks, yet didn’t survive.
“R.J. didn’t live long in this world. But simply by coming into this world, he did justice for his mother,” prosecutor Matthew Rodgers said Friday.
DNA testing conducted later on confirmed the child’s father was Isaiah Fields, one of three male staffers at the residential facility where the woman lived.
Immediately after the results came, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office secured a sealed arrest order, as per the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office.
On January 14, Fields pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony, which happens to be the most serious felony classification in Illinois.
The charge carries a minimum sentence of six to 30 years in prison, and Fields must now serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
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According to prosecutors, the 23-year-old will also be registered as a sex offender for life.
On Friday at his sentencing hearing, Fields revealed he was filled with regret, telling Kane County Judge John Barsanti, “There is no reason or set of experiences that could justify hurting anyone in any way.”
He started by saying: “By no means am I asking for a pass,” suggesting his actions may have been influenced by past drug use and sexual abuse, as per the Daily Herald.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser explained the magnitude of the crime, saying, “Today’s sentencing holds Isaiah Fields accountable for his heinous actions and the profound harm he caused to a vulnerable individual who was unable to protect themselves.”
Rodgers called Fields a predator who took advantage of someone unable to protect herself. “While no sentence can undo the harm caused, today’s outcome ensures that the defendant will be held accountable for his despicable act. It also represents justice for the victim, her family, and the Marklund community.”
Marklund CEO Gil Fonger said to the Daily Herald that the facility was “satisfied to see justice served” as this wasn’t Fields’ first offense.
In January, the young Illinois man pleaded guilty to criminal sexual assault for groping a sleeping woman in Alabama in 2023 and received a one-year sentence.
To the family of the victim, news of the young Illinois man’s sentence is music to their ears though it may never completely take away the pain caused to the disabled woman.
