Man gets 19 years for molesting girl in Elgin
A man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a girl he knew in an Elgin storage locker has been sentenced to a 19-year prison term, authorities said Friday.
Ray T. Tonsul, 59, of the 5200 block of Hoffman Street in Skokie, pleaded guilty to manufacturing child pornography and criminal sexual assault, according to the Kane County state's attorney's office.
In addition to his 19-year-sentence, of which he must serve at least 85 percent, Tonsul must register as a sex offender.
During a plea hearing Friday, Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Reagan Pittman said Tonsul sexually assaulted a girl younger then 17 between March 7, 2015, and April 15, 2015, and made a video of the act. He also took still pictures of the victim partially naked, authorities said. The assault took place in a storage locker on the 400 block of Airport Road in Elgin, authorities said.
During the investigation, police searched the storage locker and found two cameras, 12 SD cards, a folding stool, four handheld lights, CDs, DVDs, a hard drive and a small tripod, among other items.
The investigation began because the victim told a family member about the acts and the family member confronted Tonsul, who confessed, authorities said. The family member then reported the crime to police.
The Kane County Child Advocacy Center assisted Elgin police and the state's attorney's office in the investigation.
"This victim has shown remarkable bravery in reporting her attack and confronting Mr. Tonsul about it," Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said in a news release. "Her report might well have prevented another child from being victimized."