Des Plaines man charged with molesting girl
A Cook County judge set bail at $300,000 Monday for a Des Plaines man charged with molesting a 7-year-old girl in 2005.
Cook County Judge Jill Cerone Marisie also ordered Gabriel Torres, 58, not to have contact with the complaining witness and anyone under age 18 and that he not use the Internet, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Elizabeth Brogan.
The girl and her brother were playing at Torres' home in October 2005 when Torres asked the brother to go purchase snacks, Brogan said. The girl wanted to go with her brother, but Torres said no and locked the door, Brogan said.
After the boy left, Torres held the girl down and molested her, Brogan said. The girl grabbed his hair and screamed, Brogan said, at which point Torres unlocked the door and the girl ran home.
Brogan said Torres also threatened the girl's mother.
On Feb. 19, 2014, the girl - now a teen - told a friend and a school counselor what had happened years earlier, which led to Torres' arrest on charges of predatory criminal sexual assault, Brogan said. The charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Torres next appears in court on April 10.