The trial for a man accused of a 2013 child kidnapping and sexual assault in Mundelein has been put off just two days before jury selection was to begin.
Jose Reyes, now 30, of Chicago, is charged with predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated kidnapping and possession and production of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 24 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and could be sentenced to life in prison.
Prosecutors allege Reyes kidnapped the child, sexually assaulted her and had images of her on cell phones allegedly in his possession when he was arrested.
On Wednesday, Circuit Court Judge Mark Levitt rescheduled the trial, which has been delayed in the past, to Oct. 17 because of witness-availability, Assistant State’s Attorney Fred Day said.
“We wanted it to be resolved this month,” Day said of the trial, which is expected to last two weeks and include 23 witnesses. Jury selection was to have been held Friday with the trial starting Monday.
Day said that while witness subpoenas had been issued, availability conflicts still arose involving potentially key witnesses. He said steps are being taken to ensure the same problem doesn’t arise in October.
At the request of defense attorneys, a psychological evaluation was ordered for Reyes in 2014 and he was found mentally fit to stand trial.
Reyes, who had worked in Libertyville, was arrested Oct. 2, 2013, for the alleged abduction of the 3-year-old girl Sept. 30, 2013, near the entrance to a condominium complex on Deepwoods Drive in the village.
According to police, the toddler was walking with her mother, who was carrying an infant son, and her older sister to a building in Diamond Lake Condominiums just prior to the abduction.
She was missing for about 30 minutes before she was returned to the area.
Reyes is being held in the Lake County Jail in lieu of $5 million bond.
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