A jury convicted a man Wednesday after a three-day trial for sexually assaulting a preteen girl, court records show.
James K. Robinson, Sr., 52, formerly of Chicago, was convicted of three counts of child molesting. He could face up to 68 years in prison.
His sentencing date is April 25 before Judge Salvador Vasquez.
Court records list his address as the Danville Correctional Center in Illinois where he is serving a 7-year sentence for having a gun as a convicted felon.
“It was a really sad case for that little girl,” Robinson’s lawyer Roseann Ivanovich said Thursday.
Robinson maintained his innocence and rejected a potential plea offer before he went to trial, she said.
Court records allege the assault happened on Nov. 9, 2022, when the victim’s mom was out of the home for three hours from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The victim told Hammond Police and an Indiana Department of Child Services caseworker that she was watching Cocomelon when Robinson molested, then raped her on a sofa.
“Help me,” she screamed, running up the stairs.
He followed her upstairs, groped her, told her goodnight, then left her room.
Court records show Robinson was convicted of murder in 1995 in Illinois. Records also show he was convicted of criminal sexual abuse in 1989. He was arrested in 2021 for trying to take a gun on a plane, records show.
Deputy Prosecutor Tara Villarreal represented the state.
mcolias@post-trib.com
