Former Granite City auxiliary police officer found guilty of sexually assaulting girl

Sep. 25--Madison County Circuit Court this week held its first jury trial since the coronavirus hit, and on Thursday found a former auxiliary officer for the Granite City Police Department guilty on all eight counts related to the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in 2017.

Michael A. Weis, 39, of Granite City, had been charged with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, three counts of criminal sexual assault and three counts of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty.

"He could receive over 90 years in prison if he got the harshest penalties for all the counts," said Taylor Donohoo, spokeswoman for Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons' office.

A sentencing date hasn't been set.

The trial began Monday with jury selection, continued with opening arguments and witness testimony on Tuesday and Wednesday and ended with closing arguments about 1:15 p.m. Thursday. The jury began deliberating about 2:30 p.m. and rendered a verdict about 8:45 p.m.

The court had to take extra precautions and change normal procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Donohoo said.

"In order for people to not be sitting on top of one another ... we had the audience in a different courtroom, and the bailiff did a lot (to keep everyone safe)."

The two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, involved allegations that Weis fondled the teenage victim. The three counts of criminal sexual assault, a Class 1 felony, involved sexual penetration. The three counts of child pornography, a Class 1 felony, involved solicitation of lewd images.

Weis wasn't employed by Granite City Police Department, Donohoo said. Auxiliary officers volunteer when the force needs extra help with duties such as traffic control during large events.

The trial revolved around "powerful" testimony by the now 16-year-old victim, who "provided an emotional recollection of the horrific trauma she endured from the sexual acts committed by Weis," according to a press release emailed Friday by the state's attorney's office.

Other witnesses included Patty Radcliffe, a therapist from Alternative Counseling, who testified on childrens' responses to sexual abuse; and the victim's 16-year-old friend, who corroborated her story.

"Catching and convicting predators is a top priority in our execution of Madison County justice," Gibbons stated in the release. "Working together with our partners in law enforcement, we will never rest in our fight to protect the children of our community from predators by finding them wherever they lurk and putting them behind bars."

In 2017, the BND reported the following about the Weis case:

The 13-year-old girl told her foster mother that Weis had sexually assaulted her both at his Granite City home and his not-yet-opened business, The Game Room, according to an affidavit by Detective Dean Bastilla.

The girl reportedly stated that she met Weis through her mother -- who knew him from a previous job -- and began talking to him via Facebook in December of 2016 about her interest in becoming a police officer.

Shortly after, the girl told police, the two connected on Snapchat, and Weis began picking her up at her foster home for weekly auxiliary police training sessions, serving as something of a mentor.

In the affidavit, Bastilla wrote that Weis asked the girl for nude photos of herself through Snapchat.

The abuse reportedly escalated toward the end of January and into early February. The girl told police Weis took her to The Game Room, 3361 Fehling Road, several times after training sessions and sexually assaulted her in a back room with surveillance cameras.

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