Elgin man charged with predatory sexual assault after girl discloses abuse, prosecutors say
A 45-year-old Elgin man is facing predatory sexual assault charges after a girl younger than 13 disclosed he abused her for years, prosecutors said.
Bail was set at $1 million last week for Luis-Alberto Najera-Ayala, who is being held at the Kane County jail on seven counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, according to the Kane County state's attorney's office.
Najera-Ayala, of the 700 block of Jay Street, is accused of sexually assaulting the Elgin girl multiple times between January 2017 and February of this year, prosecutors say.
Late last month, the girl heard a presentation at school about recognizing sexual abuse and inappropriate touching - a program mandated by state legislation known as "Erin's Law," officials said. That same day, she told her mother she had been abused for years by someone she knew.
The girl's mother contacted Elgin police, who referred the case to the Kane County Child Advocacy Center and filed a report with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, authorities said.
Najera-Ayala, who is due in court March 11, faces 42 to 210 years in prison if convicted of all counts, according to the state's attorney's office. He also would have to register as a sex offender for life.
Passed in Illinois in 2013, Erin's Law requires public schools to teach children a prevention-oriented sexual abuse and personal body safety program. The legislation is named after activist Erin Merryn, a child sex abuse survivor who now lives in Elgin.
In the case involving Najera-Ayala, the program worked exactly how it should, State's Attorney Joe McMahon said.
"Many people did the right thing in helping to get this victim to a place of safety and hold this defendant accountable for his alleged crimes," McMahon said in a statement. "Because of Erin's Law, the victim believed that if she spoke up, someone would listen. Her mother did indeed believe her and made a report. These are two courageous people."