MURPHYSBORO — Joseph A. Cervantez, Jackson County State’s Attorney, announced today that Miguel A. Womac, age 27, of Makanda, Illinois, was indicted by a Grand Jury in Jackson County for three counts of Criminal Sexual Assault from three separate incidents occurring in Jackson County, Illinois, in 2021.
If convicted as charged, the defendant could be sentenced from six (6) to thirty (30) years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
An Indictment is merely a charge and not evidence. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
Three warrants totaling $325,000 were issues for Womac’s arrest. He has posted bond and is scheduled to make a first appearance before the court on June 15, 2022. The investigations were conducted by the Carbondale Police Department.
A prosecutor has the responsibility of a minister of justice and not simply that of an advocate. This responsibility carries with it specific obligations to see that the defendant is accorded procedural justice and that guilt is decided upon the basis of sufficient evidence. Except for statements that are necessary to inform the public of the nature and extent of the prosecutor’s action and that serve a legitimate law enforcement purpose, by Supreme Court Rule, the State’s Attorney is not allowed to make statements about pending cases or investigations which would pose a serious and imminent threat to the fairness of the proceeding. Rule 3.8 Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor. For a list of certain subjects which have been determined to pose such a threat to the fairness of the proceedings and for a list of subjects which do not, please see Rule 3.6 Trial Publicity. For any press release involving a case which has not be tried, please note that: a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of the jury.
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