Illinois judge who overturned teen sexual assault conviction has been REMOVED from criminal cases
By Jacky	 Last updated Jan 14, 2022
The Illinois judge who overturned a teenage boy's sexual assault conviction last week has now been removed from all criminal cases and can only preside over civil charges.
Eighth Circuit Court Judge Robert Adrian, 64, was publicly admonished this week for releasing the sexual assault conviction against Drew Clinton, 18, for serving five months in county jail.
Last June, Drew was charged with three charges of sexual assault; two by intercourse and one by digital penetration. His accuser is Cameron Vaughan, a 16-year-old girl who identified herself in the wake of Judge Adrian's ruling last week.
The couple met at a graduation party at another teen's house in May 2021. The sexual encounter didn't take place there — it was in the basement of another teen's house. Drew, who lives hundreds of miles away in Michigan, stayed with the other teen while visiting Quincy, Illinois.
During a trial on the court – where there was no jury – Judge Adrian found Clinton innocent on the first two counts. The boy admitted that he had digitally penetrated the girl, but said she agreed.
He was initially found guilty, but on sentencing in January, Judge Adrian reversed the conviction to avoid the boy being sentenced to the mandatory minimum of four years behind bars.
Cameron, who uses Cammy, insists she was raped by Drew. She says he put a pillow over her face and she woke up to find him "in" her.
After she ruled against Judge Adrian on Wednesday, he was removed from criminal cases by Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Frank McCartney.
Eighth Circuit Court Judge Robert Adrian, 64, was publicly admonished this week for releasing a sexual assault conviction against Drew Clinton, 18, for serving five months in county jail
Last June, Drew Clinton was charged with three charges of sexual assault; two by intercourse and one by digital penetration. His accuser is Cameron Vaughan, a 16-year-old girl who identified herself in the wake of Judge Adrian's ruling last week, correct, alleging he held a pillow over her face and assaulted her.
Drew was charged with three counts of sexual assault – two of rape and one of digital penetration. He was found not guilty on the charge of rape (which is classified as a felony 1 assault in Illinois), but guilty on the third count for admitting to touching the girl with his hands, but saying she agreed. That is the charge that the judge revoked his sentence on last week
Now he can only preside over small claims.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Drew's attorney – Drew Schnack – said the outcry against Judge Adrian was misplaced and that the public rushed to convict the boy without knowing all the facts of the case.
It had been falsely reported that the boy had been convicted of rape – which he never was.
"The only problem was the permission. He admitted that he had penetrated her digitally. The question was one of consent. Drew said she agreed, he'd been saying that all along.
"People make decisions and comments about this that haven't been in court and aren't lawyers, but don't know what they're talking about. They believe everything they see and read.
"It's bulls**t. Judge Adrian has become a great judge. He's a law and order judge – he follows the law and he's honest and he's tough.
It's bulls**t. Judge Adrian has become a great judge. He's a law and order judge – he follows the law and he's honest and he's tough. The criticism he gets is wrong'
Andrew Schnack, Drew Clinton's attorney
"The criticism he is receiving is false," said Andrew Schnack, the teenager's lawyer.
Judge Adrian has not yet commented on the decision to remove him from criminal cases.
In his decision, he did not acquit Drew of the physical act. He declined to comment on whether or not Cammy consented to be touched, instead saying that whatever happened, five months in prison was a long enough sentence.
"By law, the court must sentence this young man to the Department of Corrections. This court will not do that. That's not easy.
'Mr. Clinton spent nearly five months in county jail. For what happened in this case, that's a hefty punishment. That would be a fair sentence. The court cannot.
Going through Cammy, Cameron insists she was raped. She broke her anonymity to speak out against the judge
The teenage girl waived her right to anonymity to identify herself as the victim in the case
A Change.org petition demanding that the judge be charged has now gathered more than 8,000 signatures
"But what the court can do, because this was a trial in the court, the court will find that the people have failed to prove their case. The Court is going to reconsider its verdict on Point 3, and therefore the case – the defendant will be released from custody," he said.
Clinton's attorney Drew Schnack said there was no "evidence" of how drunk the victim was, although she admitted she had "six little shooting things", vomited and had to be cared for by adults at the party who thought she should go home . This was all before the rape
He then blamed the parents of the unidentified teen who hosted the party where the couple met, saying they should never have allowed a group of underage teens to drink alcohol and swim in a pool in their underwear.
"I cannot believe that adults involved in this case – parents and other adults involved in this case – take their responsibility for these teenage children so lightly that I cannot believe the indulgence and lack of responsibility.
"This is what happens when parents fail to exercise their parental responsibility. We have people, adults, throwing parties for teenagers and letting college students and female people swim in their underwear in their pool.
"They have 16-year-olds bring booze to a party. They dispense liquor to underage people, and you wonder how these things happen.
"The Court is disgusted by the whole thing. Mr. Clinton, you will be released. Go home if you have one,' he said.
Cammy broke her anonymity to speak publicly about the decision.
She said, "Drew would have been in jail if it wasn't for that stupid judge. His decision is inexplicable. I woke up at my boyfriend's house with a pillow over my face so I couldn't be heard and Drew Clinton inside me," she said. WGEM TV in Illinois.
"I asked him several times to stop, but he wouldn't.
"I finally got off the couch and pushed him off me and he jumped up and just started playing video games like nothing had happened."
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