A 35-year-old Wonder Lake man convicted of sexually assaulting a child over a two-year span was denied Friday in his attempts to reduce his 59-year prison sentence.
Joshua R. Kreger, of the 9000 block of Oriole Trail, was convicted in October on nine counts of predatory criminal sexual assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
He was sentenced to six years each on the more serious charges of assault and five years total on the two counts of abuse, adding up to 59 years. The range on the class X felony assault charge is from six to 60 years and three to seven years for the class 2 felony abuse charge. In theory, Kreger faced a sentence of more than 500 years.
His attorney Michael Combs noted Kreger’s lack of criminal history and argued his sentence was excessive.
Combs asked that sentencing on four of the nine assault convictions be merged and served concurrently which would add up to 30 years total and that the abuse convictions be just three years, opposed to five, for a total of a 33-year prison term.
Assistant State’s Attorney Jim Newman told McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge his sentencing was “absolutely appropriate.”
Under Illinois’s truth-in-sentencing guidelines, Kreger is required to serve 48.4 years of the 59 years.
In 2019, Kreger was arrested and charged with having inappropriate contact with a girl, who was under the age of 13, 10 times between Feb. 1, 2016, and Feb. 1, 2018, according to public records.
The girl said Kreger threatened her and her family if she were ever to tell anyone about the abuse, according to a video-recorded forensic interview played at trial. Sometimes he would buy her toys and give her money after the abuse.
At Friday’s hearing, Kreger said he was indigent and was appointed a public appellate defender.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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