At a hearing before a magistrate on Thursday morning, McClain was released on his own recognizance and placed on house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor.
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He is also allowed to attend doctors’ appointments and church, but as a condition of his release he isn’t allowed to have contact with any of the three alleged victims listed in the indictment.
A family member of two of the victims said it was very difficult for them to understand the decision to release McClain. The Springfield News-Sun isn’t identifying the family member to protect the identities of the alleged victims. They feel like McClain is a threat to the greater community.
“There are so many emotions being thrown around this house right now. You just don’t feel like justice is being served,” the family member said.
Although some of the alleged incidents happened over a year ago, the family member said they didn’t learn of them until the kids brought it up within the last couple months. The family member said they reported it to police right away.
The family member said dealing with the aftermath of the alleged incident has been very emotional for everyone. They said the kids lash out in their own ways.
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“Even if you have an alleged child rapist and you can allow him to leave court and potentially victimize other kids — how safe does this community make you feel? That’s what we’re dealing with right now,” the family member said.
It’s not clear where specifically the alleged acts took place, aside from they happened in Champaign County. It’s also not clear what exactly happened between McClain and the alleged victims.
“I just know that the situations that occurred during the last period of time were inappropriate,” the family member said.
The Springfield News-Sun reached out to McClain’s attorney, Addie King for further comment after Thursday’s hearing, but did not receive a response.
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