LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Editor’s Note: This article includes references to sexual exploitation carried out against minors. Reader discretion is advised.
CHARLESTON—At 9 a.m., on Dec. 16, a United States Army recruiter from Effingham, Ill. stood inside courtroom one at the Coles County Courthouse to face 11 charges, including aggravated criminal sexual abuse, possession and distribution of child pornography and aggravated criminal sexual assault with force.
The recruiter, Bryan Marine, 27, originally of Fort Knox, Ky., also faces three charges in Edgar County for crimes of similar nature. His Edgar County charges include possession and distribution of child pornography (photo and video) and manufacturing harmful material with a webcam or other recording device.
Just hours after Marine stood inside Charleston’s courtroom, a pre-trial conference for his Edgar County charges unfolded in Paris. Marine was not present for the Edgar County pretrial.
Public defender Nathanael Harsy, previously assigned to represent Marine in Edgar County, asked for an additional pre-trial date, requesting the date be sooner than an originally scheduled February slot.
No objection by the state was given and a date was set for 2 p.m., Jan. 13, 2025. Marine was ordered to appear at that time.
“Let’s get something done if we’re having it so early,” Judge David Lewis said following the approval of the Jan. 13 date.
Marine was originally charged with one count of criminal sexual assault in Coles County on May 17, 2024; following the creation of the charges, the defendant was granted a pre-trial release.
However, an additional arrest in September on an Edgar County warrant, as well as a considerable number of additional violent charges, deemed Marine as “dangerous” by a Coles County judge. He was remanded to the custody of the Coles County Jail pending trial.
In the state of Illinois, if a person possesses child pornography, like one of the many charges Marine currently faces, they may be charged with a Class 1 felony and could be sentenced to four to 15 years in prison. Possession of the harmful content also carries a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 and a maximum fine of $100,000.
If convicted of any charges in Coles County prior to an Edgar County conviction, the punishment for any of Marine’s alleged crimes could be greater than originally presented, including the Edgar County Class 4 felony charges he faces for distributing illicit materials to a minor.
A person is guilty of distributing harmful material to a minor when they knowingly provide content of a sexual nature to someone under the age of 18.
This is an evolving story. The Prairie Press will provide additional updates as they become available. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.