MONROE — Police in Stephenson County have arrested and charged a Lena man with multiple child sex assault felonies.
Matthew Kaufman, 43, was arrested at a location in Freeport but resides in Lena — in the 1000 block of Logan Street — according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
On Oct. 4, the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division executed a search warrant at the Lena Address as part of an investigation that was initiated in September.
“Following a review of the case by the Stephenson County State’s Attorney’s Office, an arrest warrant was obtained for Matthew Kaufman for three (3) counts of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child and one (1) count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse, all of which are alleged to have occurred in 2016 and involve a victim who was under age 13,” said the statement.
Kaufman is currently being held without bail at the Stephenson County Jail. The investigation, police said, remains active and additional criminal charges are possible.
According to court records, Kaufman was convicted of possession of child pornography in December, of 2008. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 30 months of probation. As a result of that case, which involved a victim younger than 12, Kaufman was listed in the Illinois Sex Offender database as a sexual predator.
Lena police assisted in the recent investigation.
Predatory Criminal Sexual Abuse is a Class X Felony and carries a sentence of between 6 and 60 years in prison in Illinois.