Jose A. Torrez, 50, of Grayslake, was arrested in late March and FBI agents and police conducted a search warrant at his home on Tuesday. | Provided Photos.

Police announced charges against a Grayslake man for sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13 for several years throughout Lake County. Police and the FBI raided his home Tuesday.

Jose A. Torrez, 50, of the 33100 block of North Sears Boulevard in unincorporated Grayslake, was charged with three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation in late 2020 after receiving a report about a predatory criminal sexual assault.

The child victim disclosed to a family member that she had been assaulted for approximately three years by a man who was known to the family.

The family then reported the assaults to law enforcement, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Lt. Christopher Covelli said.

The case was assigned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Children Advocacy Unit and an investigation began. Sheriff’s detectives worked with members of the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center to conduct the investigation.

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Information gathered indicated that Torrez was the adult responsible for sexually assaulting the child, Covelli said. Torrez was a close acquaintance of a family member of the child.

Sheriff’s detectives learned the sexual assaults took place at Torrez’s residence and at motels in Grayslake and Libertyville as well as a residence in Waukegan.

Detectives learned Torrez took the girl on a trip to Mexico at one point and as a result, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was requested to assist.

The Waukegan Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for Torrez in March for three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child for the assaults which took place at the Waukegan residence.

Torrez was arrested on that warrant at his residence on March 31 by Lake County sheriff’s deputies. The child has been safe with her family since the time she disclosed the assaults.

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Additional charges for the other assaults that took place in Grayslake and Libertyville are expected to be filed soon. It is unclear if any federal charges will be filed as well.

Sheriff’s detectives, FBI agents and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office conducted a search warrant at Torrez’s residence near Grayslake on Tuesday.

“Preying on our most vulnerable is inexcusable. We will always seek justice for the victims of sexual abuse, and we have dedicated a full-time detective to the Lake County Children’s Advocacy Center for that exact purpose,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said.

“I am grateful for the collaboration which went into this investigation between local and federal agencies, to help a young child who was victimized in a terrible way,” Idleburg said.

Torrez remains held in the Lake County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.

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