Walnut woman pleads guilty to aggravated battery in Sterling group home case

MORRISON – A Walnut woman has been sentenced to 30 months of probation in connection with a case in which she initially was charged with sexual misconduct with a person with a disability.

Autumn E. Porath, 43, formerly of Prophetstown, pleaded guilty Thursday in Whiteside County Circuit Court to one count of aggravated battery in a public place. One count of sexual misconduct with a person with a disability was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

She also was sentenced to 60 days of electronic monitoring and is to pay $3,519 in fines and court costs, according to court records.

According to court records and Detective Tanner Wilhelm, Porath had sex with a man living at a residential facility in Sterling, where she was a staff member, sometime between Sept. 27 and Oct. 31, 2022. The residential facility is for people with intellectual disabilities who are managed by various community agencies.

The investigation was prompted by a tip on a hotline designed for such crimes, Wilhelm said at the time of the arrest.