Brenton Cleveland’s brother: ‘He didn’t rape the girls’

SYCAMORE – The brother of a Kingston man accused of raping two girls at his 18th birthday party lashed out Tuesday at those upset about the 18-year-old’s recent out-of-state vacation.

Brenton W. Cleveland, 18, of the 34700 block of Glidden Road, was charged with unlawful restraint, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault. Both of the alleged rapes happened May 14 at a party at Cleveland's home in Kingston, and the victims were ages 15 and 16, police have said. The father of one of the girls said Cleveland was serving alcohol to minors at the party, according to court documents.

Cleveland’s older brother, Tanner Cleveland, defended Brenton Cleveland on Facebook on Tuesday.

​“He didn’t rape the girls,” wrote Tanner Cleveland, whose Facebook profile said he lives in Genoa. “He’s an 18 year old who was 18 for less than 6 hrs when he had sex with with them.”

Tanner Cleveland's comments briefly appeared on The Daily Chronicle's Facebook page, where the newspaper posted a link to a story about Brenton Cleveland's court-sanctioned family vacation to Wisconsin while he was free on $25,000 bail. The posts later were deleted; The Daily Chronicle preserved them with screen shots.

Tanner Cleveland also wrote that his brother planned to join the Marine Corps before the charges were filed and that “now [he] can’t go.”

The trip to Wisconsin was needed, Tanner Cleveland said.

“He’s been cooped up in the house [be]cause he can’t stand the looks an[d] judging,” Tanner Cleveland wrote. “So his parents took him out [of] town to get away.”

In other posts, the older brother questioned why the victims didn’t come forward sooner, why they allegedly posted photos of themselves having fun at Six Flags Great America a few days after the party and why they allegedly stayed at the party.

In response to one person’s question asking whether he was in the room at the time of the alleged crime, Tanner Cleveland said no, but added, “I’m not one of the people on here scorning someone I don’t know. But I know all sides of these involved and it’s [expletive].”

Tanner Cleveland didn't respond to a question from The Daily Chronicle asking whether he was Brenton Cleveland's brother. However, he listed Brenton Cleveland as one of his family members on his Facebook page and could be seen in photographs with him. The Daily Chronicle wrote about Tanner Cleveland when he returned from Afghanistan in 2008, where he received a Purple Heart while serving with the Marines; Brenton Cleveland was one of his brothers.

DeKalb County Assistant State’s Attorney Alicia Caplan, who is prosecuting the case against Brenton Cleveland, declined to comment on the posts, citing the pending case.

Brenton Cleveland’s attorney, R. James Haule, didn’t return messages Tuesday seeking comment about the vacation and Tanner Cleveland’s online posts.

According to a statement from the girl’s father, the 16-year-old girl went inside Brenton Cleveland’s house the night of the party to use the bathroom, court records show. Cleveland pushed his way into the bathroom and closed and locked the door before raping her, the father’s statement said. It also claims Cleveland only stopped when the girl fell to the floor and that he left her lying there.

Brenton Cleveland also is accused of forcefully touching a 15-year-old girl’s breasts and raping her, according to court documents.

Haule previously released a statement from the family denying allegations that the girl’s father made in court documents.

“In America, you are innocent until proven guilty, and the truth shall reveal itself,” the statement said. “We deny all the hearsay statements made by the alleged victim’s father and look forward to meeting our accusers in court.”

Brenton Cleveland is next due in court at 8:45 a.m. July 13.