Sexual Assault Of Child Nets 24 Year Sentence

Louis  A. Bianchi,  McHenry  County  State’s  Attorney,  announces  that  Jose  Ruiz,  age 48

of McHenry, was sentenced to 24 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offense of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child.

Ruiz pled guilty as charged to the sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13 years old. The child disclosed the abuse to her mother by writing a note which stated “dear mommy, daddy had sex with me.” The defendant was not the biological father to the victim, but they did live in the same home. The child was taken to a physician and medical evidence corroborated the victim’s disclosure.  Ruiz willfully failed to appear at the sentencing hearing, and as a result was sentenced in his absence. This case was investigated by the Woodstock Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Robert Zalud and David Johnston of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The defendant will be required to serve 85 % of the sentencing term pursuant to truth in sentencing provisions.

Sentence - 21 Years - Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault Of A Child

Following a two-hour jury deliberation, 56-year old Robert Lucht, formerly of Lake-in-the-Hills, was found guilty of three counts of the offense of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child and one count of the offense of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse.

McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis A. Bianchi, in announcing the jury verdict reports that the victim of the offense of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child was an 11-year old girl who was admitted to a hospital for suicidal intentions and for harming herself.

She then reported that she had been sexually assaulted by the defendant multiple times between the ages of seven and nine. When the defendant was confronted with the allegations by the police he gave a written confession admitting he had assaulted the child. The defendant will be sentenced on November 20 at 1:30 pm and faces a minimum sentence of 21 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The case was prosecuted by Sharyl Eisenstein and Michael Combs, Chief of the Criminal Division of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.