Carol Stream man gets 25 years for molesting kids

A Carol Stream man was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison for molesting three children left in his care.

Eric W. Prosch, 31, received the punishment in a plea deal after admitting to felony predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated sexual abuse charges.

Police began investigating Prosch last year after two of the children were overheard, by a family member, talking about the inappropriate contact. He has been held in the DuPage County jail on a $500,000 bond since his March 6, 2007 arrest.

Prosecutor Joseph Lindt said Prosch repeatedly molested the children, two girls and one boy, ages 7 to 11, while watching them in his former apartment on the 600 block of Gunderson Drive.

One of the children's mothers told DuPage Circuit Judge George Bakalis what happened when she confronted Prosch with the allegation. She said he admitted the abuse.

"I was in utter shock," she said Tuesday while reading her victim-impact statement in court. "When the words came out of Eric's mouth, my heart was full of pain.

"He is a sexual predator. Eric told me he was a sick man who could not control his urges. He knew exactly what he was doing. He preyed upon children for his own sexual desires."

His attorney, Michelle Moore, said Prosch did not have a prior criminal record. She said he was honorably discharged from the Army and worked as a validation engineer for a biomedical company.

Moore said Prosch expressed regret from the onset and wanted to avoid putting his young victims through an emotional trial in which they would have to testify.

"He has been very remorseful from day one," Moore said. His arrest, she added, "was almost a relief for him because he knew he had a problem and needed help."

Prosch must serve 85 percent of the prison term before being eligible for parole. Prosecutors planned to seek an extended prison term, up to about 60 years, had Prosch lost at trial.