Ex-campus cop charged with harassing sex abuse accuser

A former College of Lake County police officer accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl is in trouble again, this time charged with trying to dupe authorities into believing his accuser was harassing him.

Marc W. Carder, 48, of Island Lake, was arrested by McHenry County Sheriff's police this week on three felony counts of harassment of a witness.

The charges stem from an investigation launched several months ago when Carder's defense lawyer approached sheriff's police about messages about his client posted on two social networking Web sites, MySpace.com and HoneymoonWishes.com.

The messages, purportedly made by the girl accusing Carder, indicated that she had feelings for him, said sheriff's Lt. Andrew Zinke.

"He was reporting that she was trying to contact him and posting on the Web sites romantic stuff about him," Zinke said.

Investigators questioned the girl, who denied any responsibility for the postings. Detectives instead were able to track the messages back to a computer in Carder's home, Zinke said.

"He tried to convince us that she was harassing him, and that she was the bad guy this whole time," he added. "It didn't work."

Carder was arrested Monday and transferred to the McHenry County jail. He is free after posting $2,000 Wednesday.

The harassment charges are Class 2 felonies punishable by three to seven years in prison.

Carder, a former supervisor with the CLC police, already faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges filed in 2007. The charges allege Carder had a sexual relationship with the teenage girl between 2002 and 2006.

He was fired from his police job after his arrest in the initial charges.