Former Aurora man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting children

A former Aurora man was sentenced to 16 years in prison Monday for sexually assaulting four children he knew over a span of 12 years.

Martin L. Beyer, 53, pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal sexual assault.

According to prosecutors, between 2001 and 2013 Beyer assaulted the victims.

Beyer will have to register for life as a sexual offender.

He must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. He received credit for 177 days he spent in the Kane County jail, before he posted bail.

"This defendant had been sexually abusing children for more than a decade before he was caught. He was stopped because one of his victims came forward and disclosed his criminal behavior. This brave disclosure prompted additional victims to bravely come forward and expose more of the defendant's abuse. These victims should be proud of their strength and courage," Assistant State's Attorney William Engerman, chief of the criminal trials bureau, said in a news release.

Beyer initially was charged with assaulting five victims, but one of the charges was dismissed because the statute of limitations had lapsed.

One of the charges involved the use of force on a victim. Originally, the charge contended he used force and that the victim suffered from an impairment.

All other counts were dismissed as part of the plea.