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Former janitor gets 2 years for sex plan

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 10:17 PM Tuesday, January 31, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — A former school janitor will spend two years in prison for trying to persuade an 11-year-old student to have sex with him.

Phillip J. Dague, 21, pleaded guilty to charges of importuning, a third-degree felony, last month. At his sentencing Tuesday, Dague and his attorney asked for leniency due to his lack of a criminal record. He said he was seeking help through the jail chaplain and a substance abuse treatment program.

“I just feel like, if I can get the help I need, I can still be a positive contributor to society,” Dague said.

Prosecutor Brian Driscoll argued Dague deserved jail time because he showed no remorse for his actions.

“(He said) he was just trying to use this plan not to have sex with the 11-year-old, but simply to help her parents get more involved in her life,” Driscoll said. “That’s just patently false.”

Clark County Common Pleas Judge Richard O’Neill agreed, stating that if the girl hadn’t gotten cold feet when she saw her mom searching for her, Dague would have followed through with his plan.

Authorities said Dague began working as a substitute janitor at Park Layne Elementary School in the Tecumseh Local School District in October 2009. He met the 11-year-old there and began communicating with her on Facebook.

They planned their meeting through the social media website, but were foiled when the girl’s mother saw the messages and went looking for her, according to a report by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim’s family did not attend the sentencing, nor submit an impact statement for the judge’s consideration.

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