St. Charles County, Missouri- The Office of Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar announces that on December 12, 2016, John Classen, 19, of O’Fallon was sentenced to 25 years in the Department of Corrections. The Honorable Jon A. Cunningham imposed concurrent 15 year sentences for kidnapping, burglary 1st degree, abuse of a child, and consecutive 5 year sentences for abuse of a child, and possession of child pornography, for a total of 25 years.
These charges arose following an investigation by the O’Fallon Police Department, which revealed that Classen, then 17 and an acquaintance of the victim’s brother, broke into the victim’s home in the 100 block of McCluer Drive about 12:40 a.m. He got in through a window that he had deliberately left unlocked two days earlier when he had visited the home. He used a screwdriver to cut out the screen. He waited in the basement for 4½ hours before going up to the main level, where the victim, a 10 year old female, was asleep on the couch. He grabbed the victim, covered her mouth with his hands and threatened her if she screamed. He began carrying her to the basement, but she resisted, and the two tumbled down the stairs. Classen then dragged the girl out of basement door as she continued to resist and took her to his car, which was parked on an adjacent road. The victim’s mother awoke at 5:25 a.m. to the sound of the family dogs barking after they heard Classen and the victim fall down the stairs. The victim’s mother saw Classen forcibly abducting the victim through the backyard, and she called 911, as the victim’s father pursued the pair on foot.
O’Fallon police responded immediately, and apprehended Classen approximately 35 minutes after he abducted the victim. Police found the victim shaken, with minor injuries, but otherwise physically unharmed, and returned her safely to her family.
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