McCullom Lake man accused of sexually assaults of child over several years

A prosecutor provided “graphic details” of the alleged sexual assaults of a child over several years starting when she was 6, leading to charges against a McCullom Lake man.

McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb ordered Juan Reyes-Rivas, 36, be detained pretrial in the county jail, saying he poses a real threat to the alleged victim and other minors.

Reyes-Rivas is charged with three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13, Class X felonies, and criminal sexual assault, Lamb told Reyes-Rivas at his initial court appearance. The charges also are in the criminal complaint in the McHenry County court. The Class X felonies carry a sentencing range of six to 60 years each, Lamb said.

In detailing what Assistant State’s Attorney Garrett Miller presented in arguing for his detention, Lamb said, “This defendant acted with a course of conduct that he believed he was untouchable, and there is no condition or set of conditions to mitigate the real and present threat he poses to the victim or other minors.”

Miller said Reyes-Rivas told the child not to tell anyone about his actions with her or he would take away her tablet.

The alleged assaults continued until recent days, prosecutors said. The girl disclosed the alleged assaults to a teacher and a forensic interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center-McHenry County. She told them Reyes-Rivas would assault her when he was drunk, according to authorities; he would promise her it wouldn’t happen again, “but would break his promise.” He would “always say one more time,” Miller said the child reported.

In arguing for his detention, Miller said the child provided “graphic details” in an “incredibly realistic manner” of the assaults and the steps Reyes-Rivas took to cover them up.

“All the graphic details point to this being what actually happened,” Miller said.

Assistant Public Defender David Geisinger argued Reyes-Rivas should be released on court supervision and with conditions including wearing a GPS monitor and curfews. He also could be ordered not to drink alcohol and be required to submit to testing.

Reyes-Rivas has a job in Crystal Lake as a landscaper that does not bring him into contact with any minors and little criminal history except for a DUI and traffic tickets. He scored a zero on a dangerousness evaluation and has family in Elgin, where he would live, Geisinger said.

The attorney also said that Reyes-Rivas is charged with assaulting one child, and although she alleged he was assaulting another child, that child denied it. This brings into question the “reliability of [her] statements,” Geisinger said.

Reyes-Rivas is due in court May 21.