Carol Stream man charged with abusing disabled girl

A 49-year-old Carol Stream man has been charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and is being held on a $1 million bail in DuPage County jail, authorities said Thursday.

The charges stem from allegations that Adan Rodriguez sexually assaulted a girl, who is now 15, on multiple occasions beginning in 2009 at her home, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. The girl suffers from spina bifida.

Rodriguez, who will be arraigned March 30, is an undocumented immigrant, Berlin said in a written statement.

He also is a relative of the girl and moved in with her family about eight years ago, authorities said.

Berlin said the girl's mother found sexually explicit photographs and text messages between Rodriguez and the girl on the girl's cellphone. The mother contacted Carol Stream police, who contacted the state's attorney's office. Officials from the DuPage County Children's Center conducted the investigation that led to the charges.

If found guilty, Rodriguez would face a prison sentence of between six and 60 years.

“The allegations against Mr. Rodriguez are some of the most despicable and disgusting I have seen in my nearly three decades as a prosecutor,” Berlin said in a news release. “This young girl has special needs and has had to rely on others her entire life. If these allegations are proven true, Mr. Rodriguez took advantage of his victim's condition to satisfy his own sick, twisted sexual desires.”