Elgin man admits molesting 6-year-old

An Elgin man Tuesday admitted molesting a 6-year-old girl and was sentenced to three years of probation.

Artemio Banderas, 46, of the 200 block of Seneca Street, pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual abuse and was sentenced in a plea deal accepted by Kane County Circuit Judge James C. Hallock, court records show.

Banderas was arrested last spring after an investigation by the Kane County Child Advocacy Center into four separate reports of molestation involving a young acquaintance. The abuse happened in early 2003, prosecutors said.

Banderas, who faced up to seven years in prison if convicted at trial, also was sentenced to 180 days in jail but received credit for 193 days already served. Additional court fines and fees totaled $1,700, according to court records.

Banderas had no prior criminal history in Kane County.