Illinois cross advocate accused of child sexual abuse

ST. LOUIS -- An outspoken pastor who led fundraising efforts for the restoration of a towering Southern Illinois cross landmark was freed on reduced bond Friday and ordered confined to his home after being accused of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl.

Prosecutors in Illinois' Union County charged the Rev. Bill Vandergraph, 72, on Wednesday with predatory sexual assault of a child younger than 13, a felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison.

During a brief court appearance in Jonesboro, Ill., a judge reduced a tearful Vandergraph's bond from $500,000 to $100,000 at the request of his defense attorney, who cited his great-grandfather client's age, heart disease and diabetes. Union County State's Attorney Tyler Edmonds had pressed that the half-million-dollar bond stand, given the seriousness of the charges that Vandergraph sexually abused the girl between Jan. 1 and May 31.

While out on bond, Vandergraph is barred from leaving his home near Alto Pass, Ill., for anything other than lawyer and doctor visits, and he cannot have children under age 18 at his house.

Allen James -- Vandergraph's attorney and Edmonds' predecessor as prosecutor -- declined to discuss many specifics about the case when reached later Friday, saying he hadn't seen the investigative reports. "We just don't know what's going on here, and we've got to find out," he said.

Vandergraph is pastor of Full Gospel Pentecostal Church of Alto Pass and has been a foster parent over the years to dozens of children. He was president of the fundraising arm of the nearby Bald Knob Cross of Peace, an 11-story monument undergoing a half-million-dollar makeover.

Steve McKeown, a pastor who heads the Bald Knob Cross of Peace Inc. that operates the landmark, on Friday called the allegations against Vandergraph "absolutely shocking."

"Nobody that I've talked to -- and I've talked to many people -- saw this coming. We're talking about a guy who is esteemed in the community and church," McKeown said.

He was hopeful the charges wouldn't hurt fundraising efforts.

"There's certainly going to be those who are going to create a guilt-by-association scenario and may have a tendency to not support the cross," he said. "But I think the project needs to stand on its own merits. If people believe in the restoration, they should not be dissuaded by these unfortunate allegations."

The cross about 130 miles southeast of St. Louis has been a fixture on the 1,025-foot-high Bald Knob Mountain for nearly a half century, standing sentry over forests and much of the region's orchards and burgeoning wine country. Easter services have been held on the mountain since 1937.

Vandergraph's preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 13, four days shy of a year since he was recognized for his volunteerism as Illinoisan of the Day by the Illinois State Fair Museum Foundation.