Elgin man faces 36 years in prison after jury finds him guilty of child sexual assault
ELGIN — 48-year-old Alberto Najera Ayala of the 700 block of Jay Street has been found guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony, and six counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony, according to Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser.
Between January 2017 and February 2020, Ayala was discovered to have sexually assaulted a child victim multiple times, based on evidence presented by Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Lori Schmidt and Stacey Wittman.
Ayala knew the victim, who was younger than 12 years old.
Schmidt and Wittman alleged that the young victim had heard a school presentation regarding personal body safety, which prompted her to tell her mother about the assaults.
Kane County Judge Alice C. Tracy set Ayala’s next court appearance for 2:30 p.m. on July 13 in Courtroom 313 at the Kane County Judicial Center for motions and sentencing.
Ayala faces a minimum sentence of 36 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections and will be required to register as a sexual offender for life under the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.
Ayala is currently in custody at the Kane County jail in St. Charles, where he had been held in place of a $1 million bail since his arrest, stated Mosser.
Tracy also revoked Ayala’s bond upon his conviction at the state’s request.
“The victim at the time of this trial was only 11 years old. She showed incredible bravery and strength when facing her abuser in court and testifying about his abuse,” said Schmidt. “Many people in our community played a role in obtaining justice for the victim and are owed thanks for their efforts. They include Officer Edwin Alva of the Elgin Police Department, the staff at Advocate Sherman Hospital and Advocate Lutheran Children’s Hospital, and the Illinois State Police Crime Laboratory, as well as Investigator Dave Smith, Forensic Interviewer Kasandra Osorio, and Victim Advocate Andrea Nava of the Kane County Child Advocacy Center.”
