Lake County Gazette

A resident of Beach Park has been accused of sexually assaulting an intellectually disabled individual, who is the daughter of a woman employed to clean his house. The Lake County Sheriff's Office announced the charges against the man on May 21.

According to a press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to a local hospital on May 17 where a woman was receiving treatment for a panic attack. She informed them that her daughter had been sexually assaulted. The mother works as a cleaner at a residence on West Fairbanks Avenue in Beach Park and usually brings her adult, non-verbal, intellectually disabled daughter along with her.

The press release further detailed that the mother grew suspicious of the homeowner when she observed him seemingly zipping up his trousers upon her descent to where her daughter was situated. In response to her suspicions, she installed a recording device the following week to monitor her daughter. Upon reviewing the footage, she discovered that her daughter had been coerced into engaging in sexual acts.

In collaboration with the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, detectives from the Sheriff's office reviewed the case and approved charges against the suspect. As per another press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, these charges include aggravated criminal sexual assault of an intellectually disabled person (a class X felony), two counts of criminal sexual assault (class 1 felonies), and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of an intellectually disabled person (a class 2 felony).

The suspect, identified as Alfred De La Cruz, aged 70, was arrested and charged with these crimes according to yet another press release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. De La Cruz was held in custody at the Lake County Jail pending a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday. It is important to note that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.