Judge finds probable cause to proceed to trial in sexual abuse case



PAXTON — A Ford County judge has ruled that probable cause exists to proceed with felony charges against a former Bloomington doctor accused of engaging in sexual activities with a 14-year-old in Gibson City and using an online service to solicit the child for sex.

Judge Matt Fitton found that State’s Attorney Andrew Killian had met that burden following the sworn testimony of Gibson City police officer Jacob Horsch and arguments from Killian and Bloomington attorney Stephanie Wong, who is representing the accused Kynan A. Brown.

Kynan A. Brown

The ruling came during an Oct. 21 preliminary hearing for the 41-year-old Brown, a Bloomington resident and former doctor at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington who was charged on Oct. 10 in Ford County Circuit Court with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, and one count of traveling to meet a minor, a Class 3 felony.

A pretrial hearing was set for 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 16.

Until the outcome of his trial, Brown has been ordered detained at the Ford County Jail in Paxton. If convicted, Brown faces penalties ranging from probation to up to seven years in prison for each of the two most serious charges.