CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - A 21-year veteran of the Champaign Police Department has found himself on the opposite side of the law.
50-year-old Joe Ketchem was the department's liquor-enforcement officer.
Now, he's charged with soliciting a prostitute.
Ketchem was sent a summons to appear in Champaign County Circuit Court on Nov. 29 for arraignment, the News Gazette reports.
He retired in August, after the solicitation allegations came to light. He had previously earned more than $103,300 a year as a sergeant.
His name came up as part of a federal investigation as police were investigating a Springfield man for alleged sex trafficking in Champaign County.
46-year-old Franshon Stapleton was charged with sex trafficking and has been in federal custody since May. He is facing life in prison if convicted.
27-year-old Katelyn Curtis was also arrested in connection with the prostitution ring. She lived with Stapleton in Champaign motels and helped him in the operation, police say. She pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy and the use of a facility of interstate commerce (phones and the internet) to assist in racketeering. She will be sentenced in January.
The News Gazette reports the Department of Homeland Security examined Curtis' cellphone as part of its investigation into Backpage.com.
The website was shut down in April for facilitating prostitution and sex trafficking.
That is when police said they found text messages between Ketchem and Curtis between June 13 and 30 in which Ketchem was trying to arrange to pay for sex.
Illinois State troopers stepped in at that point to investigate. They said two prostitutes met Ketchem in the spring of 2018 at hotels in Champaign County. One of them knew he was a Champaign police officer.
The maximum penalty Ketchem faces for this, a misdemeanor charge, is 364 days in the county jail.
