A former owner of a Wonder Lake grocery store, who was a ski team coach, has been sentenced to probation for sexually abusing a child but prosecutors say he also victimized 10 other children.
Alan J. Mrowka, 71, of Wonder Lake, was charged in November 2023 with one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony.
A criminal complaint alleged Mrowka committed an act of sexual conduct with a child between May 4, 1995, and May 3, 1996, when he grabbed the buttocks of the child, who was under the age of 13.
Prosecutors said the allegations occurred when Mrowka was the coach of the Wonder Lake ski team.
Prosecutors said investigators received 10 different reports from other people who alleged long-ago misconduct by Mrowka, the Northwest Herald reported.
All of the allegations came from middle-aged adults who were part of the Wonder Lake Water Ski Show Team when they were younger, prosecutors said.
Mrowka was not charged in those incidents because of the statute of limitations, prosecutors said.
State records show Mrowka is the president and owner of Wonder Foods, Inc. Wonder Foods was a grocery store in Wonder Lake that is no longer in business.
A warrant was issued for Mrowka on November 30, 2023, after the case was investigated by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
The Lee County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office responded around 3:58 p.m. on December 4, 2023, to a residence in the 100 block of Orange Harbor Drive in Fort Myers, Florida.
Deputies were notified that a subject with an active warrant was possibly at the location, according to a probable cause statement.
Deputies made contact with Mrowka, whose identity was confirmed via his Illinois driver’s license.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office Communication Center verified Mrowka had an out-of-county warrant, the statement said.
A police report said Mrowka has a local address listed as the residence where he was arrested but also has an out-of-state residence in Wonder Lake.
Mrowka was transported to the Lee County Jail and extradited back to Illinois to face his charges.
The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Mrowka pending trial, calling him a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Mrowka argued he was not a flight risk. He said he owns two homes in Wonder Lake, had bank accounts in McHenry County and “wintered” in Florida where he was building a home.
McHenry County Judge Michael Chmiel granted the petition during an Initial Appearance Court hearing in December 2023.
The judge said prosecutors failed to prove Mrowka was a danger but agreed that he was a flight risk.
Mrowka appealed the ruling and the Illinois Second District Appellate Court released its ruling in March 2024.
The appeals court reversed the pre-trial detention of Mrowka and ordered his release, saying that prosecutors failed to provide clear and convincing evidence that Mrowka posed a high likelihood of willful flight.
The appeals court also said that the judge’s finding was not supported by evidence. “The trial court abused its discretion in finding that the defendant was a flight risk and ordering that he be subject to pretrial detention,” the appeals court said.
Mrowka was released from the McHenry County Jail after a judge imposed pre-trial release conditions.
Court records show Mrowka entered into a negotiated plea deal with the state’s attorney’s office on Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child, a Class 2 felony, in exchange for 180 days in jail, which is already considered served with 118 days of credit, and two years of probation.
Mrowka was ordered to register as a sex offender and comply with numerous requirements related to the registry. He was also ordered to obtain sex offender treatment.
Mrowka was ordered to pay $2,839 in court fines and fees.
The plea agreement was accepted by McHenry County Judge Mark Gerhardt.