Southern Illinois police officer charged with raping juvenile

A Southern Illinois police officer has been indicted on charges of raping a juvenile.

William F. Fenton was indicted by a grand jury in Jackson County on two counts of sexual assault, a Class 1 felony, and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.

He is accused of committing acts of sexual penetration and sexual conduct with a juvenile in July, and was taken into custody Wednesday following the grand jury, according to KFVS.

Fenton, 47, of Murphysboro, is a police officer in the Ava Police Department.

Fenton is out on bail and scheduled to appear in court in January. If convicted, he faces up to 22 years in prison, according to the Southern Illinoisan.

This story was originally published December 7, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Southern Illinois police officer charged with raping juvenile."