Palatine man charged with sexual abuse of two girls

A Palatine man was ordered held on $1 million bail Thursday after he was charged with sexually abusing two girls.

Fernando Sanchez-Paz, 34, was charged with predatory sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Cook County Judge Joseph Cataldo cited flight risk as one of the reasons for the high bail.

Prosecutors say the girls - one of them a high school student and the other in middle school - were abused sometime between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2013.

One of the accusers notified her mother immediately after the abuse, but the family did not call police at that time, said Cook County assistant state's attorney David Shin.

On Monday, during a program on suicide prevention, a middle school social worker noticed the younger girl became upset, Shin said. Some of the girl's statements concerned the social worker. The social worker talked with the girl, who spoke of the abuse, Shin said.

A police investigation ensued, but officers were unable to locate Sanchez-Paz, who did not respond to their attempts to contact him, Shin said.

Police arrested Sanchez-Paz Tuesday after he quit his job, telling his employer he had to return to Mexico for a family emergency, Shin said.

His background includes a 2005 conviction for aggravated assault with a weapon, for which he was sentenced to probation and 80 days in jail, Shin said. Sanchez-Paz also has a 2012 conviction for misdemeanor DUI and a 2008 DUI conviction in Florida for which he received six months' probation, Shin said.

If convicted, Sanchez-Paz faces up to 30 years in prison. He next appears in court on Nov. 19.