Wonder Lake man sentenced to 59 years in prison for sexually assaulting girl

A Wonder Lake man was sentenced to prison on Friday after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a child.

Joshua R. Kreger, 35, was found guilty by a jury in October on nine counts of predatory criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Judge Michael Coppedge sentenced him to 59 years in state prison for the 11 charges.

State law requires the nine predatory criminal sexual assault charges to be served consecutively, McHenry County assistant state’s attorney Jim Newman said, and make up 54 of the 59 years. Kreger also was sentenced to five years for the two aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges, which are to be served immediately after the 54 years.

Between both sets of charges, Kreger is required to serve 48.4 years of his 59-year sentence, according to Illinois Truth in Sentencing Guidelines.

Kreger was arrested in 2019 and was accused of having inappropriate contact with a girl 10 times between Feb. 1, 2016, and Feb. 1, 2018, public records show.

The girl said Kreger threatened her and her family if she were ever to tell anyone about the abuse, according to a video-recorded forensic interview played at trial. Sometimes he would buy her toys and give her money after the abuse.

The girl told a member of her household about the abuse over a year after it happened, she said in the recorded interview.

Kreger’s defense lawyer to argued there was not enough physical evidence to prove Kreger’s guilt, but Newman said prosecutors did not need physical evidence to pursue charges against Kreger and it was not unusual for there to be no physical evidence in such a case.

Kreger denied abusing the girl when he took the witness stand in court during a three-day trial.

The case was investigated by the Algonquin and McCullom Lake police departments, according to a news release from the state’s attorney’s office.