Waukegan child molester sentenced to 13 years

A McHenry County judge Monday sentenced a Waukegan man to 13 years in prison and ordered he register as a sex offender for life after he pleaded guilty to charges alleging he sexually assaulted and abused two young girls.

Homero Alcaraz-Bello, 52, entered into a negotiated plea to one count of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13 and one count of felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a second child who is a family member.

In exchange for his guilty plea, 10 additional charges were dismissed. The case was investigated by the Woodstock Police Department.

Had Alcaraz-Bello gone to trial and been founded on the most serious charge, he could have faced up to 60 years in prison, McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge said.

He also is required to pay $3,715 in court fines and fees, submit to medical testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and serve mandatory supervised release from three years through his natural life.

He also faces the potential of being deemed a sexually violent person. If that happens, he could be held in prison until he is found to no longer be sexually violent, Coppedge said.

Alcaraz-Bello "knowingly" assaulted a 7-year-old girl in 2014 and abused a 6-year-old relative, Assistant State's Attorney Ashur Youash said.

Youash said the girls and their family, who were not present in the courtroom Monday, were aware of the negotiated plea and in agreement with its terms.