Former McLean County Minister Pleads Guilty To Sex Assault

A former McLean County minister was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a predatory criminal sexual assault charge.

Rodney D. Applington was an associate pastor at East White Oak Bible Church in rural Carlock. The 42-year-old was charged in January with having illegal physical contact with a minor girl.

The Pantagraph in Bloomington reports a second charge of predatory criminal sexual assault was dismissed in a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Prosecutors say had Applington gone to trial he would have faced six to 30 years on the Class X felony charges.

Applington's employment with the church in Carlock ended when the accusations surfaced. Church officials cooperated with police during their investigation of the case.