Elgin man who skipped child sex assault trial gets 47 years in prison
An Elgin man who is on the run after skipping court for his child rape trial earlier this year has been sentenced to 47 years in prison.
Mario Piñeda, 37, of the 1-99 block of South DuBois Avenue, was convicted in absentia of seven counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, along with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse by a Kane County jury on Jan. 16.
At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Piñeda sexually assaulted the victim, who was younger than 13 and whom he knew, numerous times in 2016.
The girl told her parents about the assaults and her father called police, prosecutors said.
Piñeda faced a top prison term of 217 years. Kane County Judge Charles Petersen on Thursday sentenced Piñeda to 42 years in prison for predatory criminal sexual assault and five years for aggravated sexual abuse, prosecutors said.
The sentences must be served consecutively.
Piñeda posted $20,000 bail after his arrest in 2017 but last came to court for a Sept. 20, 2019, hearing. Petersen issued an arrest warrant for Piñeda after he was a no-show on Jan. 9, 2020.
"This victim has showed so much bravery and strength throughout her ordeal, overcoming her fear to tell her parents about the abuse, providing important details to investigators and telling her story in court," State's Attorney Joe McMahon said. "Mr. Piñeda, on the other hand, was too much of a coward to face her."
Anyone with information on Piñeda's whereabouts is asked to call the Kane County Child Advocacy Center at (630) 208-5160.
Under state law, Piñeda must serve 85% of the 42-year sentence for predatory criminal sexual assault and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.