“He deserves every minute”: Yohn sentenced to 130 years in prison

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QUINCY (WGEM) - Bradley Yohn, who was found guilty in July on two counts of home invasion, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated vehicular hijacking, one count of aggravated criminal sexual assault and one count of residential burglary was sentenced to 130 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on Monday.

Adding on the seven years Yohn was sentenced to earlier this year for a contraband charge, his total sentence is 137 years at 85%, for a minimum 110 years.

In 2021 the victim, Tina Lohman, had car troubles and was approached by another vehicle where Yohn forced his way into her car, then forced his penis into her mouth, and drove to her home where further sexually assaulted her and then robbed her.

Once there, Yohn and his accomplice, Karen Blackledge, went into her garage while Lohman locked herself in her home. Yohn then kicked in the door, and sexually assaulted her once more.

Lohman died on Dec. 12, 2021.

Before Monday’s sentencing began, the state called Adams County investigator John Schone to the witness stand. Schone testified that Yohn had sent Lohman’s husband, Tim Schmitt, an 8-page letter roughly one month after the guilty verdict in July.

Adams County Assistant State’s Attorney Josh Jones read aloud part of the letter including portions that read, “Did you get you money’s worth... A lot of people lie, do you like liars Tim... How unhonest [dishonest] can a man be.”

More of Yohn’s letter indicated that Yohn felt that evidence was tampered with and that the victim’s family had paid off the prosecutors.

Another portion from the letter read, “It was a well staged crime.”

Seven of Lohman’s family members gave victim impact statements in person and two others were read by the state.

”How would you have liked this to have happened to your mother or your sister or any other of your family,” said Schmitt, who testified for several hours during the July trial. “You’re a menace to society, and they’re going to send you to prison and they’re not going to let you out.”

Lohman’s oldest grandson, Joshua Lohman, who was unable to attend the trial, said he kept up with the proceedings every day. He described his grandmother as a loving, caring person.

“You had no right to do that to my grandma nor to anybody,” Joshua Lohman said. “It scares me to think that there are people like you in this world, you need to go to a prison for a very long time, not just for the justice for my grandma, but so you can’t hurt anybody else.”

After each family member addressed the defendant, Yohn then addressed the family...again claiming he’s innocent.

“I did not hurt your mother, your grandmother, I didn’t do any of that, I wasn’t a part of that, I was not there, there’s a lot more to this than you all know,” Yohn said.

Jones proceeded to ask for the maximum penalty of 130 years combined for each count that he was found guilty of. Yohn’s counsel, public defender Todd Nelson, asked Judge Roger Thomson to not impose more than an excessive amount.

Nelson said the loss of Yohn’s mother at age 16 was hard on him and could have had an impact on his criminal actions later in life.

“I try to imagine my client’s baby photo,” Nelson said to Judge Thomson.

Thomson proceeded to sentence Yohn to the fullest extent of the law.

”You take no responsibility for crimes that you clearly committed and were proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Thomson said to Yohn. “I believe you’re narcissistic and unable to appreciate that, because to admit that, would be admitting a fault and in your mind you are perfect.”

Jones said this was the first time in his 22 years practicing law that he’d ever asked for a 130-year sentence.

“I will say this was maybe the easiest sentencing that I was ever a part of,” Jones said. “There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to ask for the max on every case and we were relatively sure the judge was going to impose it for this defendant.”

Jones said Monday felt like “another day in the office” with Bradley Yohn.

“He deserves every minute of every day that he’s going to spend in prison,” Jones added.

17 witnesses testified during the July trial.

Yohn has 30 days to appeal.

A play-by-play from each day of the trial can be found at that links below.

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