An Illinois judge who overturned a teenager’s sexual assault conviction for raping a sleeping 16-year-old boy has been removed from the court.
The Illinois Court Commission dismissed Adams County Judge Robert Adrian from the bench Friday after holding a three-day hearing in Chicago on a complaint against him.
Adrian had found then 18-year-old Drew Clinton of Taylor, Michigan guilty of sexually assaulting 16-year-old Cameron Vaughan during a May 2021 graduation party in October 2021.
But at the sentencing hearing months after his conviction, Adrian said the boy had spent “extensive” time behind bars – 148 days – and that while he could not sentence him to time served, he could overturn the sentence and set him free. .
According to the court committee’s decision, Adrian was “involved in multiple instances of misconduct” and “abused his position of power to satisfy his own sense of justice while circumventing the law.”
Illinois Judge Robert Adrian was removed from the court after overturning his own sex offender conviction
Adrian had found then 18-year-old Drew Clinton of Taylor, Michigan guilty of sexually assaulting 16-year-old Cameron Vaughan (pictured) during a May 2021 graduation party in October 2021
But at the sentencing hearing months after his conviction, Adrian said the boy had spent “a considerable amount of time” behind bars – 148 days.
The state Judicial Investigation Commission filed a complaint against Adrian after the judge dismissed Clinton’s conviction in January 2022.
The judge said at the time: ‘He has no criminal record whatsoever, no criminal record at all. By law, the court is supposed to sentence this young man to the Department of Corrections… This court will not do that. That’s not alone. There is no way what happened in this case should send this teen to the Department of Corrections. I won’t do that.’
Under state law, Clinton should have served a minimum of four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The commission could have issued a reprimand, censure or suspension without pay, but its decision said it had “sufficient grounds” to immediately remove Adrian from the bench in Adams County, western Illinois.
The complaint stated that Adrian admitted that he should have given Clinton the mandatory four-year prison sentence, but that he would not send him to prison.
Adrian was also accused of lying under oath about his reasons for overturning the conviction and throwing a prosecutor out of the courtroom after liking a social media post critical of the judge.
The judge told the prosecutor: (‘I don’t go on social media, but my wife does, and she saw the thumbs up you gave to people who attacked me… I can’t be honest with you. Go away.’
Cameron, now 18, waived her right to anonymity and said she passed out drunk in the basement and woke up to Clinton sexually assaulting her while holding a pillow over her face.
Clinton claimed they had consensual sex and that she was not as drunk as she claims.
According to court transcripts, after overturning Clinton’s conviction, Adrian blamed parents and adults for “throwing parties for teenagers, and they let students and female people swim in their pool in their underwear.” And no, underwear is not the same as swimwear.’
The State Commission for Judicial Investigation filed a complaint against Adrian after the judge dismissed Clinton’s conviction (pictured) in January 2022
Vaughan told the Chicago Tribune after Friday’s decision that she was “very happy that the committee could see all the wrong and all the lies that he was telling all the time.”
He added: ‘It’s just – they allow 16 year olds to bring liquor to a party. They provide liquor to minors, and you wonder how these things happen. Well, that’s how these things happen. The court is disgusted by this whole matter.’
Vaughan told the Chicago Tribune after Friday’s decision that she was “very happy that the committee could see all the wrong and all the lies that he told all the time.” I am so incredibly happy right now. He can’t hurt anyone else. He can’t ruin someone else’s life.’
Adrian said the decision to remove him “is completely a miscarriage of justice.” I did what was right. I’ve always told the truth about it.’
Adams County court records show that Clinton’s guilty verdict was overturned because prosecutors failed to meet the burden of proof to prove Clinton guilty.
But in Friday’s decision, the commission wrote that it found Adrian’s contention that “he reversed his guilty finding based on his reconsideration of the evidence and his conclusion that the state had failed to prove that his case was a subterfuge was – the defendant’s attempt to justify the reversal. post hoc.’
Clinton cannot be tried again for the same crime under the Fifth Amendment. A motion to expunge Clinton’s record was denied in February 2023.