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Thursday, January 11, 2007 12:03 AM CST
EIU associate AD faces sex crime charges
By DAVE FOPAY, Staff Writer
dfopay@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON -- An associate athletic director at Eastern Illinois University will return to court later this month to face charges alleging he entered a Charleston home and attempted a sex crime with a woman there.
Mark D. Bonnstetter, 38, of 20 Woodfield Lane, Charleston, is accused of entering a home near his residence on Nov. 25 without the permission of the home’s residents. Once inside, he tried to fondle a woman, the charges against him allege.
Bonnstetter is still at his job at EIU, where his title is associate athletic director for operations and head athletic trainer, university spokeswoman Vicki Woodard said. He oversees coaches and administrative matters and supervises three fulltime athletic trainers, and the only change in his duties since his arrest is that he’s no longer working directly with students, she said.
Named in the charges against Bonnstetter are the woman he’s accused of touching and another who lived in the same residence. Woodard said university records show that neither of the women is currently an EIU student.
Woodard said EIU “may make temporary adjustments” in an employee’s status when there are pending criminal charges against the employee, such as a paid leave or reassignment of duties, but that hasn’t happened with Bonnstetter. She said university officials would have no other comment on the matter.
Bonnstetter is charged with residential burglary and trespassing, both felony offenses, and attempted criminal sexual abuse, a misdemeanor.
The residential burglary charge accuses him of entering the home intending to commit another crime there, namely criminal sexual abuse. The offense requires a prison sentence when there’s a conviction, with the possible terms ranging from four to 15 years.
Charleston attorney Ron Tulin is representing Bonnstetter in the case. Tulin couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
Bonnstetter is free on bond and is scheduled for his next court hearing on Jan. 22.
That court appearance is set for what’s called a preliminary hearing, where a judge considers evidence, usually police testimony, and decides if there’s sufficient reason to order a trial. Bonnstetter could waive his right to such a hearing, but either way he should enter a plea to the charges at that time and more hearings and possibly a trial should be scheduled.
Contact Dave Fopay at dfopay@jg-tc.com or 348-5733.
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