$1 million bail set for man accused of molesting girl in Wheeling, Chicago

A 33-year-old man who prosecutors say sexually assaulted a young girl was ordered held on $1 million bail Thursday.

Antoine Hilliard, who authorities say lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, and also resided in Chicago, was charged with predatory criminal sexual assault, a felony punishable in this case by up to 60 years in prison.

The abuse, which sometimes took place in Wheeling, occurred over several years when the girl was between 7 and 13, said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Gates, who informed the court "the state anticipates many additional charges" beyond this one.

Prosecutors say Hilliard assaulted the girl in Chicago and in Wheeling. Several years ago, they say, he took nude photos of the girl and asked her to send him a picture of her without clothes, which she did using a relative's phone, Gates said.

Both Hilliard and the relative have since obtained new phones, Gates said.

Prosecutors say Hilliard last abused the girl on Jan. 1, 2017, in a storage unit at the home of a relative. Two days later, the accuser disclosed the abuse to a school counselor, Gates said. She told the counselor because Hilliard had promised her the previous summer "he wasn't going to do it anymore," Gates said.

Hilliard next appears in court on Aug. 30.