Belleville man charged with sexual abuse of two 14-year-old girls

A Belleville man faces nearly a dozen charges alleging he sexually abused underage girls.

Jessie Forbus, 19, has been charged with 11 felony counts: nine counts of aggravated sexual abuse, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of making a recording depicting child pornography.

The charges allege Forbus forced the girls to have sex with him and perform various sex acts on him. The girls were 14.

Mascoutah Detective Sgt. Jared Lambert said one of the girls disclosed to a medical professional, who is a mandated reporter under the law, and informed police in both Mascoutah and Belleville.

The investigation showed that abuse happened in both towns, Lambert said. According to the Mascoutah Herald, some occurred in Scheve Park, and surveillance cameras in the park and a private home nearby were instrumental in the investigation.

Lambert said it “wasn’t a stranger situation” and that the girls had communicated with Forbus online, but Lambert was not sure if they met there.

Forbus was arrested in Belleville and remained in custody Thursday with the Belleville Police Department in lieu of $150,000 bail, according to the Mascoutah Herald.

This story was originally published June 28, 2018 at 5:49 PM.