McHenry corrections officer accused of contact with female inmates

A McHenry County correctional officer is facing up to five years behind bars on charges he had inappropriate contact with one female inmate and convinced another to expose herself to him.

Elias Dario Fortoso, 29, of South Elgin, is charged with two counts of official misconduct, a felony, and a single count of misdemeanor battery stemming from the allegations which surfaced earlier this month, Sheriff Keith Nygren announced Tuesday.

"Our corrections personnel take a lot of pride in the jobs they do, and if we have someone who's not doing the right thing and breaking the law, they're going to pay a price for it," Nygren said. "That I can promise you."

Fortoso turned himself in at the jail Monday and later posted a $2,000 bond to go free while his case is pending. He is on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation is ongoing, Nygren said.

A phone message seeking from Fortoso was not returned.

His arrest culminated a two-week investigation initiated, Nygren said, when a female jail inmate reported the allegations to a worker in the McHenry County Public Defender's office.

Fortoso was placed on leave immediately while sheriff's detectives interviewed four women and gathered other evidence corroborating the claims, the sheriff's department said.

The charges stem from separate incidents June 23 and July 9 in the processing area of the jail, where Fortoso was assigned.

In the first incident, charges allege, Fortoso had a female inmate expose her breasts to him. In the second, he placed an inmate's hands on his uniform pants near his groin, according to a criminal complaint.

The official misconduct charges are Class 3 felonies, normally punishable by a maximum two to five years in prison, or probation.

Fortoso, Nygren said, has worked for the jail more than two years and has had no prior disciplinary issues.