BLOOMINGTON - Jeff Pelo was called a man without a soul, a demon and a plague on society Tuesday before he was sentenced to 440 years in prison for the rapes of four women and the stalking of a fifth between 2002 and 2006. | Scars still remain for rape victims | Photo gallery | Video: Police interview Pelo (June 2006)

Associate Judge Robert Freitag told a crowded courtroom that Pelo qualified for consecutive sentences on each of four rape cases relating to assaults from 2002 to 2005 and a stalking that started in 2005 and continued for a year. All the incidents happened at the victims' east-side Bloomington homes.

The judge explained that state sentencing rules prohibit Pelo from being sentenced on all 35 counts that he was convicted of in June, so about half of the counts were merged with others.

Pelo received the highest number of years, 255 total, for the Jan. 26, 2005, sexual assault of Sarah Gliege. Freitag stacked eight 28-year terms for sexual assault and added 26 years for home invasion and five years for intimidation in Gleige's case.

Pelo received 45 years in the Jan. 4, 2005, rape of Andrea Lawhun and 70 years for the April 2003 assault of Kristy Mills. The first in the series of rapes - in January 2002 - netted Pelo 60 years, and the stalking case involving Jonelle Galuska added 10 years to the former police sergeant's total sentence.

Three of the rape victims and the stalking victim have asked the news media to use their names. The first rape victim has not.

Pelo displayed no reaction as victims read emotional impact statements. When asked by the judge if he wanted to make a statement, Pelo responded, "I'm innocent, that's all."

Pelo's family was not in court. His oldest daughter, Shayla Pelo, was outside the courtroom for a short time but did not come inside.

'A plague on the community'

The sentence came with blunt remarks to Pelo from the judge.

"You literally went from being a protector of our community to a plague on our community," Freitag told Pelo.

Pelo's position of authority made the offenses a greater tragedy, Freitag said.

"The atrocity is magnified by the fact you were a police officer at the time of these offenses," the judge said.

Pelo's journey to the prison door started June 10, 2006, when he was stopped by Officer David Ziemer, a patrolman who worked with Pelo, outside a woman's home on Andy Court. Police responded to a call around midnight about a potential burglar and found the 17-year veteran of the department standing between two homes.

The explanation Pelo offered to police for being on private property tested the common sense of most residents and was rejected by detectives who questioned him hours later at the police station. Pelo insisted he was checking out homes for his mother-in-law.

Since his arrest on the stalking and rape charges Pelo has steadfastly denied his involvement in the crimes.

Attorneys for Pelo argued that the four rape victims were mistaken in their identification of the 43-year-old police sergeant as the man who entered their homes as they slept and sexually assaulted them. The woman who was stalked for a year before Pelo was found outside her home also was wrong, Rosenblat argued, about Pelo's involvement.

Sentence requests

Chief Felony Prosecutor Mark Messman asked that Pelo receive the maximum term allowed under the law, more than 300 years by his calculation.

Messman called the former police officer "a dark, lurking demon, poised to shatter countless lives for years to come."

Pelo should never be free, said the prosecutor.

Rosenblat asked that Pelo be given consideration for his years of public service and his ability to comply with sex offender treatment.

Pelo's evaluations as a police officer and a letter from his wife, Rickielee Pelo, were given to the judge as evidence in Pelo's favor.

In her four-page handwritten letter, Pelo's wife recounted the 21 years she and Pelo shared as a couple.

"Jeff has remained a loving, caring and devoted husband and father to us, even during these past two years of extreme hardship," Mrs. Pelo wrote.

Relief and recovery

Quiet sobs were heard in the courtroom as Freitag explained the complicated formula used to calculate the sentence.

The victims and their families applauded briefly as Pelo was taken from the courtroom.

Gliege, Mills and their husbands expressed gratitude for the lengthy sentence. The trauma of the sexual assault affected relationships, said Terry Gliege.

"The worst thing for me was the powerlessness I felt to help her in any way," said the victim's husband.

"It's almost an excitement. You don't have to worry about him coming after you anymore," said Kristy Mills.