78-year-old Arlington Heights man sentenced for sexually assaulting girl
A 78-year-old man was sentenced to six years in prison after he admitted sexually assaulting a young girl over the course of five years beginning in 2011.
Chang Lee, who prosecutors initially said was from Morton Grove but whose address is listed as Arlington Heights in court records, must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
Lee pleaded guilty Tuesday to predatory criminal sexual assault. Prosecutors said the girl was about 8 at the time the sexual assault began.
As a condition of his plea, Lee must pay $1,374 in fines and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He received credit for the 543 days he has spent in custody since his arrest.
Prosecutors say Lee told the girl he would "die from grief" if she told anyone about the abuse.
The family of the now-teenage victim agreed with the sentence to spare her the ordeal of testifying at Lee's trial, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jaclyn Lantz.
The victim and her family did not attend the hearing, Lantz said, because "they do not want to see the defendant ever again."