A Woodstock man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison — but will serve five years — for sexually assaulting multiple children dating back to the 1990s, prosecutors said.
Richard F. Wachter, 56, of the 300 block of Raffel Road in Woodstock, was charged with multiple counts of predatory sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and aggravated sexual abuse.
The charges stem from numerous sexual assaults against children, some younger than 13 years old, that took place between 1991 and 2000, according to court records.
The victims, who are now adults, came forward and reported the crimes to the Woodstock Police Department in January 2018.
The victims came forward after the statute of limitations for felony sex crimes committed against children was eliminated in August 2017.
Wachter was arrested and charged in August 2018 following a police investigation.
On Wednesday, Wachter accepted a plea deal from the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault assault and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed his other charges.
McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge approved the plea deal and sentenced Wachter to 10 years in prison for aggravated criminal sexual assault assault and five years for aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
The two sentences will be served concurrently, meaning they will be served at the same time.
Wachter will serve his 10-year prison term at 50% because the crimes were committed before Illinois truth-in-sentencing guidelines and mandatory consecutive sentencing rules were established, the Northwest Herald reported.
The case was investigated by Detective Sharp of the Woodstock Police Department and prosecuted by Sharyl Eisenstein of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.