Man Sexually Assaulted Girl, Took Her On Trip To Mexico: Police

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A 50-year-old Gages Lake man is behind bars for allegations he sexually assaulted a girl under the age of 13 years old at two different homes, as well as area hotels; he also brought her on a trip to Mexico, authorities said Wednesday.

Jose Torrez, of the 33100 block of North Sears Boulevard in Gages Lake, was arrested on March 31 for allegations he sexually assaulted the girl at a home in Waukegan. He was charged with three counts of predatory sex assault of a child under the age of 13 in connection with the Waukegan assaults.

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Torrez, who was an acquaintance of the girl's family, is also accused of sexually assaulting the girl at hotels in Grayslake and Libertyville, as well as at his home in Gages Lake, police said. He also took the girl on a trip to Mexico, according to prosecutors.

Authorities learned about the sexual assault after the girl told a trusted family member she had been being assaulted for about three years, according to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The girl has been safe with her family since she disclosed the assaults.

The sheriff's office's children advocacy unit launched an "immediate investigation." Detectives with the sheriff's office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also assisted in the probe.

On Tuesday morning, the FBI and sheriff's office searched Torrez's home in the 33100 block of North Sears Boulevard in Gages Lake.

“Preying on our most vulnerable is inexcusable,” said Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg. “We will always seek justice for the victims of sexual abuse, and we have dedicated a full-time detective to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center for that exact purpose. I am grateful for the collaboration which went into this investigation between local and federal agencies, to help a young child who was victimized in a terrible way.”

Torrez is being held at the Lake County Jail on a $500,000 bail and is next expected in court on Friday morning.

Additional charges are expected in the case, police said.