(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Randall, Wis. — A Genoa City man is being held on $100,000 cash bail after being charged with sexually assaulting a close relative multiple times over the course of several months, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Kenosha County Circuit Court.
(Kenosha County Sheriff)
Jesse Abelardo Reyes, 33, is charged with two Class C felonies: repeated sexual assault of a child and incest with a child by stepparent. If convicted on both counts, he faces up to 80 years in prison.
The allegations came to light after Kenosha County sheriff’s deputies responded to Reyes’ home in the Town of Randall on June 11. According to the complaint, a family member told deputies she walked into a bedroom and witnessed concerning behavior involving Reyes and the child. That prompted her to separate them and call authorities.
Deputies made contact with Reyes, who allegedly admitted that an inappropriate incident had occurred, but claimed he did not initiate it and failed to stop it right away. Deputies noted Reyes appeared nervous and avoided eye contact.
The child was interviewed later that day and, according to the complaint, was initially reluctant to talk. Eventually, she disclosed that there had been multiple incidents over the previous months. A more detailed forensic interview was conducted on June 13 at the Racine County Child Advocacy Center, where the child described several encounters and gave further context to investigators.
The complaint alleges that the incidents took place in various parts of the home while other family members were away. Investigators say the child’s statements were consistent across interviews and included both recent and past incidents.
Following the initial investigation, Reyes was taken into custody and booked into the Kenosha County Jail. His bail was set at $100,000 cash by Court Commissioner William Michel II during his initial court appearance on Monday.
Reyes is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on June 25.
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